Israel reopening Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt on Sunday after long closure
By SAM METZ
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel announced Friday that it will reopen the pedestrian crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt over the weekend, marking an important step in U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan.
COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for coordinating aid to Gaza, said in a statement that starting Sunday, “limited movement of people only” would be allowed through the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world.
The announcement follows statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ali Shaath, newly appointed head of the Palestinian administrative committee governing daily affairs in Gaza, that it would likely open soon.
How the crossing will operate after nearly two years of closure remains unclear.
While COGAT said the crossing would be opened in both directions on Sunday, Shaath said the first day would be a trial run for operations and travel in both directions would begin on Monday.
COGAT said Israel and Egypt would control the entry and exit of individuals through the crossing, which will be supervised by European Union border patrol officers. In addition to crossing controls, Palestinians leaving and returning will be controlled by Israel in the adjacent corridor, which remains under Israeli military control.
The crossing has been almost completely closed since Israel seized it in May 2024, saying the move was part of a strategy to end cross-border arms smuggling by Hamas. It was briefly opened for the evacuation of medical patients during a short-lived ceasefire in early 2025.
Israel had resisted reopening the crossing, but Monday’s recovery of the remains of the last hostage in Gaza paved the way for a breakthrough. A day later, Netanyahu said the crossing would soon be opened in a limited and controlled manner.
Thousands of Palestinians inside Gaza are trying to leave the war-torn territory, while tens of thousands of Palestinians who fled the territory during the heaviest fighting say they want to return home.
An Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with policy told The Associated Press that dozens of Palestinians would initially be allowed to pass in each direction, starting with medical evacuees and Palestinians who fled during the war.
-
Trucks queue to pass through the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing, heading for inspection by Israeli authorities before entering the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, January 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohamed Arafat)
1 of 3
Trucks queue to pass through the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing, heading for inspection by Israeli authorities before entering the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, January 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohamed Arafat)
Develop
Gaza’s healthcare system was decimated during the war, making advanced surgical procedures out of reach. About 20,000 sick and injured Palestinians need care outside Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. In the past, priority people for evacuation were mainly children, cancer patients and people suffering from physical trauma.
The reopening is one of the first steps in the second phase of the ceasefire agreement brokered last year by the United States, which includes difficult issues ranging from the demilitarization of Gaza to the establishment of an alternative government to oversee the reconstruction of the largely destroyed enclave.
Netanyahu said this week that Israel’s priority was to disarm Hamas and destroy its remaining tunnels. Without these measures, he said there would be no reconstruction in Gaza, a position that could make Israeli control over Rafah a key lever.
New deadly strikes in Gaza
Palestinians in Gaza mourned Friday their friends and loved ones who died earlier this week in Israeli strikes, which have slowed but not stopped since the return of the remains of the last hostage held in the territory.
Three Palestinians were buried according to traditional Islamic burial rites. Men gathered to pay their last respects, carrying the shrouded bodies through the streets before praying for them.
The Israeli military said four people were killed in airstrikes Friday in central Gaza, saying they were armed and approaching troops near the ceasefire line separating Israeli-controlled areas and most of Gaza’s Palestinian population.
The most recent deaths Friday add to the 492 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire began in October, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. It maintains detailed records of victims which are generally considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.
Associated Press journalist Toqa Ezzidin in Cairo contributed to this report.
See more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
