Israel reopened the border between Gaza and Egypt on Monday for people on foot, a move that would allow Palestinians to leave the enclave and let back in those who want to return after fleeing Israel’s war in the enclave.
An Israeli security official said that European monitoring teams had arrived at the crossing, which “has now opened to the movement of residents, for both entry and exit,” Reuters News Agency reports.
The reopening of the Rafah border crossing will be limited, with Israel demanding security checks for Palestinians entering and exiting. Israel and Egypt were expected to impose caps on the number of travellers.
Israel seized the border crossing in May 2024, about nine months into the Gaza war that was brought to a tenuous halt by an October ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Rafah significance
Rafah’s reopening was an important requirement under the first phase of Trump’s broader plan to stop fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Israel closed the Rafah crossing after its forces swept into the area and has also closed the Philadelphi corridor that runs the length of Gaza’s border with Egypt.
The closure cut off an important route for wounded and sick Palestinians to seek medical care outside Gaza.
Despite the reopening of Rafah, Israel is still refusing to allow the entry of foreign journalists, who have been banned from Gaza since the start of the war, which has caused widespread destruction and laid waste to swathes of territory.
Foreign journalists barred
Gaza’s about 2 million Palestinians mostly live in makeshift tents and damaged homes, surrounded by the ruins of their destroyed cities.
Israel’s Supreme Court is considering a petition by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) that demands foreign journalists be allowed to enter Gaza from Israel.
Government lawyers have said that letting journalists into Gaza could pose risks to Israeli soldiers, while also highlighting potential risks to reporters.
The FPA rejects this, saying the public is being deprived of a vital source of independent information.
Ceasefire conditions
Trump’s plan for Gaza, now in its second phase, foresees governance being handed to Palestinian technocrats, Hamas laying down its weapons and Israeli troops withdrawing from the territory while it is rebuilt.
Since the October deal was struck, Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 500 Palestinians.
On Saturday, Israel launched some of its most intense airstrikes since the ceasefire, killing at least 30 people.
