Israel has announced that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen on Sunday, February 1, for the limited movement of pedestrians in both directions. The gateway has been largely closed since Israeli forces took control of it in May 2024, except for a brief evacuation of medical patients during a temporary ceasefire in early 2025.
COGAT, an Israeli defense ministry body overseeing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, confirmed the reopening in a statement released on Friday. The crossing will allow entry and exit in coordination with Egypt, but only after prior security clearance of individuals by Israel and under the supervision of the European Union mission. An additional screening and identification process will take place at a designated corridor operated by the Israeli defense establishment in an area under military control.
Limited to Pedestrian Movement Only
The reopening applies exclusively to the movement of people, not goods or vehicles. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office emphasized that the crossing would remain limited to pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism. The return of residents from Egypt to the Gaza Strip will be permitted only for those who left Gaza during the war and only after receiving Israeli security clearance.
The decision comes as part of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which calls for the crossing to be reopened after all hostages held by Palestinian militants have been released or returned to Israel. Israel previously expressed its unwillingness to reopen the gateway until recovering the remains of Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza. Gvili’s remains were recovered earlier this week and he was laid to rest in Israel on Wednesday.
Key Gateway for Gaza Residents
The Rafah crossing sits on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt and represents the only route in and out of the enclave that does not pass through Israel. It lies in territory held by Israeli forces since their pullback behind the so-called Yellow Line under the terms of the ceasefire deal. Israeli troops continue to control more than half of Gaza.
For the more than two million residents of Gaza, the crossing serves as a vital gateway to the outside world. The reopening has sparked optimism among thousands of Palestinians injured in the conflict who need medical treatment abroad, as well as tens of thousands of individuals outside Gaza who are eager to return home. The humanitarian situation in the territory remains grave, with most of the population displaced and many living in tents with little or no sanitation amid harsh winter weather.
Ceasefire Agreement and Second Phase
The fragile Gaza ceasefire has been in force since October 10, under a plan outlined by President Trump to end the war. Hamas had called earlier on Friday for the immediate transition to the second phase of the ongoing truce, which includes provisions for the reopening of Rafah and the entry of a technocratic Palestinian committee to administer the territory.
Washington announced that the truce deal was entering its second phase with the naming of a 15-member National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which answers to Trump’s Board of Peace. The reopening of Rafah is expected to allow the entry of this committee, which will oversee day-to-day governance in the devastated territory.
Phase two of the ceasefire deal also stipulates the disarmament of Hamas, which has repeatedly called the issue of its weapons a red line, though the group has suggested it could be willing to hand them over to a Palestinian governing authority. In return, Israel’s military is meant to gradually withdraw, with an international stabilization force deployed in its stead. President Trump told his cabinet on Thursday that it looks like Hamas would disarm, though the group has offered no confirmation.
Humanitarian Concerns Persist
Prior to Israel’s announcement, Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, called on Friday for the international community to harness the momentum generated by the first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas to urgently improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Spoljaric said this included Israel easing entry restrictions on dual-use material and equipment, such as water pipes and generators, to restore basic infrastructure.
The gateway has been a vital entry point for aid but remained closed since Israeli forces captured it in May 2024 as part of an effort to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza. Past attempts to reopen the crossing have failed to materialize.
The Gaza war was sparked by an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to figures based on official Israeli data. The Israeli retaliation flattened much of Gaza, a territory that was already suffering severely from previous rounds of fighting and from an Israeli blockade imposed since 2007. The conflict has left more than 71,600 people dead in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry, figures considered reliable by the United Nations.
