Israel says Rafah crossing to reopen within days for foot traffic

Israel has said it will reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt within days for travelers on foot, a move that would allow Palestinians who fled Gaza during the two‑year war to return home for the first time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the crossing would open after the completion of a search in Gaza for the remains of the last captive.

Later, the Israeli military announced it had found the remains of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, a police officer shot during the Hamas‑led attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel agreed to allow the crossing to reopen as part of the cease‑fire deal struck in October but had demanded the return of all deceased Israelis and foreign nationals in Gaza first.

Aid officials said they hoped the reopening would also permit evacuations of Gazans needing medical care abroad, a group thought to number more than 18,000, according to the World Health Organization. The crossing’s closure had cut off a key route for severely ill and wounded patients; some Palestinians died without access to proper treatment.

At least 100,000 Palestinians have left Gaza since the start of the war, Palestinian officials say, and many face a fraught choice about whether to return to much of the enclave, which the report says lies in ruins after two years of Israeli bombardment. The decision advances a fragile cease‑fire but does not resolve broader uncertainties.

Key Topics

World, Rafah Crossing, Gaza Strip, Egypt, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas