The Rafah border crossing, Gaza’s main gateway to the world, reopened Monday, allowing a limited number of Palestinians to begin entering and exiting the war-devastated enclave through it for the first time in almost two years, and fulfilling the final major requirement for the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan designed to put an end to the war.
Palestinians were able to start using the crossing, which borders Gaza and Egypt, on Monday morning, according to Al Qahera, Egypt’s state news agency, and an Israeli security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press.
Israeli military forces seized the crossing in May 2024, shutting the flow of aid and closing an exit passage for injured and severely ill Palestinians. A ceasefire deal that called for its reopening went into effect in October, but Israel had delayed its decision to reopen the crossing until last week, when the remains of the final hostage held in Gaza, Rani Gvili, were found and returned to Israel.
The reopening of the border crossing should pave the way toward the far thornier second phase of the agreement, which should tackle issues such as the disarmament of Hamas, the future governance of Gaza and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops.
The opening of Rafah brought hope to countless families in Gaza. But with scarce details publicized as the crossing opened Monday, it was unclear how quickly the most vulnerable Palestinians would be able to leave the enclave, or the rate at which those stuck outside would be able to enter to reunite with their families for the first time since the war broke out in October 2023.
Despite the enormous needs, the number of people allowed to enter or leave are likely to be limited at first, officials said.
One former Egyptian official, who has been briefed on the negotiations and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive policy decisions, said that 50 Palestinians will be allowed to enter Gaza, and 50 to exit, on a daily basis starting Monday as a “soft opening.”
Israel has said that, alongside Egypt, it will vet people for entry and exit and that strict security protocols will be in place. European Union border patrol officials will supervise the crossing, alongside officers from the Palestinian Authority.
Medical evacuees and others with pressing humanitarian cases are expected to be prioritized to leave Gaza first, the former Egyptian official said. The main hospital in Arish, on the other side of the border, is preparing for the first round of patients, he added. Ambulances were photographed stationed on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Sunday, ready to transport the initial batch of people to hospitals.
More than 20,000 Palestinians are on a wait list to receive medical treatment abroad, given the decimated state of Gaza’s health care system, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the records department at Gaza’s Health Ministry. The medical evacuees on the list are also allowed to list family members to travel with, he said, meaning that at the current rate it would take over a year for those on the wait list to get the medical attention deemed necessary.
But for many of the thousands of Palestinians waiting to be able to leave Gaza for treatment, Rafah’s reopening has provided a rare window of optimism — even if the process might be slow.
“I believed I might never be able to leave Gaza,” said Ahmed Mahmoud al-Bursh, a 31-year-old father of three awaiting medical evacuation after being injured twice in separate strikes. “When I heard that the crossing had reopened, I was extremely happy. I felt some hope,” he said, despite not yet having received any communication about the process.
The reopening came after Israel pounded Gaza on Saturday with some of the heaviest airstrikes in weeks.
At least 26 people were killed in the strikes, and almost 70 people injured, according to a toll from Gaza’s Health Ministry. Among the dead were seven children, three women and two elderly people, Waheidi said. Israel said that it launched the strikes in retaliation for what it said was a Hamas violation of the agreement on Friday.
Gaza has continued to experience daily violence, with more than 520 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire came into effect on Oct. 10, according to the health ministry. Four Israeli troops have been killed in Gaza in the same time frame, according to the IDF.
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