Cairo — Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopened Monday for restricted movement, marking a significant though largely symbolic step in the ongoing Israel-Hamas ceasefire as only a small number of Palestinians were permitted to travel and no commercial goods were allowed to pass.
An Egyptian official said authorities expected about 50 Palestinians to cross in each direction on the first day of operations. In the initial hours following the reopening, no travelers were observed entering or leaving Gaza. The move nonetheless raised cautious hope among thousands of Palestinians seeking medical evacuation, including an estimated 20,000 children and adults in need of urgent care, according to Gaza health officials.
State-run Egyptian media and an Israeli security official confirmed the reopening, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on public comment.
A Lifeline for Medical Evacuations
For families such as that of Rajaa Abu Mustafa, the crossing represents a long-awaited chance for treatment abroad. Her 17-year-old son, Mohamed, was blinded in one eye last year while trying to obtain food from aid trucks east of Khan Younis.
“We have been waiting for the crossing to open,” Abu Mustafa said. “Now it’s opened and the health ministry called and told us that we will travel to Egypt for his treatment.”
Egyptian authorities said around 150 hospitals nationwide are prepared to receive Palestinian patients evacuated through Rafah. The Egyptian Red Crescent has also established “safe spaces” on the Egyptian side of the crossing to support evacuees.
Since the war began, Israel has barred Palestinian patients from seeking care in hospitals in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem — once a primary route for medical referrals unavailable in Gaza.
Continued Violence Amid Truce
Despite the reopening, violence continued across the coastal enclave. Gaza hospital officials reported that an Israeli navy vessel fired on a tent camp sheltering displaced people near the southern city of Khan Younis, killing a 3-year-old boy. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident.
According to Nasser Hospital, the strike occurred in the Muwasi coastal area, a designated tent camp zone. Gaza’s health ministry said more than 520 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, including over 100 children, as cited by UNICEF. The ministry reports that total Palestinian deaths since the start of Israel’s offensive have surpassed 71,800, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants. United Nations agencies and independent experts have generally considered the ministry’s casualty data to be credible.
Oversight and Political Tensions
Under the ceasefire terms, Israel’s military controls the area between the Rafah crossing and Gaza’s main population centers. Israel and Egypt are jointly vetting travelers, with the crossing to be supervised by European Union border agents alongside a limited Palestinian presence. Officials said the number of travelers could increase if the system proves effective.
Egypt has repeatedly stressed that Rafah must remain open for both entry and exit, amid concerns that the crossing could be used to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza.
Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah crossing in May 2024, citing efforts to prevent weapons smuggling by Hamas. The terminal was briefly reopened in early 2025 to allow limited medical evacuations during a previous truce.
A Step Into the Ceasefire’s Next Phase
The reopening follows Israel’s recovery of the remains of the last hostage in Gaza, a development that helped unlock progress on the crossing. It is also seen as a key milestone as the U.S.-brokered ceasefire moves into its second phase.
The truce, which paused more than two years of conflict that began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, initially called for a large-scale exchange of hostages and detainees, expanded humanitarian aid, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The next phase is expected to be more complex, with provisions for establishing a new Palestinian governing committee in Gaza, deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, and launching long-term reconstruction efforts all contingent on the ceasefire holding.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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