Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing reopened to Palestinians on Monday, an Israeli security official said, though Egyptian state-linked media said only 50 people would be allowed to cross in each direction in the early days.
The resumption of operations comes after Gaza’s civil defence reported dozens killed in a wave of Israeli strikes over the weekend, in what the military said was retaliation for Palestinian fighters exiting a tunnel in Rafah city.
The Rafah crossing with Egypt is Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world that does not lead to Israel and is a key access point for both people and goods.
Israeli forces seized control of the crossing in May 2024 during the war with Hamas, and it has remained largely closed since.
A partial resumption of operations began on Sunday in a tightly restricted pilot phase that did not involve travel of people, following months of appeals from aid groups.
“As of this time, and following the arrival of the EUBAM teams on behalf of the European Union, the Rafah crossing has now opened to the movement of residents, for both entry and exit,” the Israeli official said, referring to a European border assistance mission.
Palestinians cross through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Gaza into Israel on their way out of the Gaza Strip. – Reuters
Egyptian state-linked media reported that 50 people were expected to cross in each direction in the first days of the reopening.
Al Qahera News reported citing an unnamed source that “fifty people will depart Egypt for Gaza and fifty people will come from Gaza, in the first days of the operation”.
A source at the border said a few dozen people arrived on the Egyptian side on Monday, awaiting entry into Gaza.
Israeli state broadcaster Kan reported that the crossing would be open for about six hours daily.
“The Rafah crossing is a lifeline,” said Mohammed Nassir, a Palestinian who had his leg amputated after being injured early in the war.
“I need to undergo surgery that is unavailable in Gaza but can be performed abroad.”
Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, said Israeli bombings killed 32 people, including children in Gaza on Saturday.
Israel’s military said the strikes were retaliation for an incident on Friday in which eight Palestinian fighters exited a tunnel in Rafah, which it said violated the fragile US-sponsored ceasefire in effect since October 10.
The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the opening of the Rafah crossing “marks a concrete and positive step in the peace plan,” for the war-battered territory.
“The EU’s civilian mission is on the ground to monitor crossing operations and support Palestinian border guards,” she wrote online.
An official at Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, said on Sunday about 200 patients were waiting for permission to leave the territory. – AFP
