Release date
Israel on Monday reopened its border crossing with Egypt at the Rafah border in the Gaza Strip to restrict traffic, marking a major step forward in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Egyptian and Israeli officials said.
An Egyptian official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that 50 Palestinians will be allowed in each direction on the first day the border opens after being closed for nearly two years.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would allow up to 50 patients a day to leave Gaza accompanied by two relatives of their choice. He also said that 50 Palestinians who wish to return home would be allowed passage each day.
Local health officials say about 20,000 Palestinians living in the enclave want to leave the territory to receive treatment. If current allocations remain in place, it will take more than a year for people in need to receive care.
The United Nations has said that as many as 100,000 Palestinians are estimated to have left the Strip during the war, with many taking refuge in Egypt. At this rate, it could take more than five years for the evacuees to return.
Egypt’s Ministry of Health announced on Monday that 150 hospitals across the country are being prepared to receive Palestinian patients and wounded who will be evacuated from Gaza via Rafah in the coming days and weeks.
Israel has said it will work with Egypt to scrutinize people leaving the territory across the border, a process that will be overseen by a small Palestinian presence of EU border guards.
Officials have hinted that if the system is successful, the number of travelers allowed to pass each day could increase, but did not give a deadline.
The Israeli military closed the Rafah crossing in May 2024, claiming it was essential to stop arms smuggling across the border by Hamas militants. The crossing was briefly opened for several days for medical evacuation during the ceasefire in January 2025, but was not opened for civilian movement.
Israel has been reluctant to reopen the border, despite a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump that has been in effect since October.
But the return of the body of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza last week paved the way for a restart, allowing an existing cease-fire agreement aimed at establishing governance, rebuilding and disarmament of the Gaza Strip to proceed to its second stage.
Additional sources of information • AP