Israel Agrees to Limited Reopening of Rafah Crossing

In a statement released late Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel had agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza.

“As part of President Trump’s 20-point plan, Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism,” the statement said.

Israel Sets Hostage Conditions for Rafah Crossing Reopening

Netanyahu’s office said the reopening would be conditional on the return of all living Israeli hostages and a “100% effort” by Hamas to locate and return the bodies of all deceased hostages.

It added that Israel would proceed with reopening the crossing once the search operation for the body of Israeli soldier Ran Gvili is completed, noting that his remains have not yet been recovered.

Crossing Closed Since May 2024

Israel has fully closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing since May 2024, as part of its nearly two-year-long military offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Since October 2023, more than 71,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed during the campaign, according to Palestinian figures. In recent months, Israel has repeatedly linked any reopening of Rafah to the return of its last captive remains from Gaza.

Ceasefire Commitments and Violations

Under the first phase of a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10, the Rafah Crossing was scheduled to reopen in October. However, Israel did not implement the provision, according to Palestinian officials.

Since the ceasefire began, Palestinian factions have released 20 Israeli captives alive and returned the remains of 27 others, while the body of Ran Gvili remains outstanding.

Casualties Since Ceasefire

Despite the truce, the Israeli army has carried out hundreds of violations, killing at least 484 Palestinians and wounding 1,321 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.