Rafah border crossing reopens, a step forward in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire

The Egyptian Health Ministry said on Monday that the level of preparedness of all health facilities had been improved for the movement of patients and the injured, as well as for the return to Gaza of those who have recovered. Some 150 hospitals across the country, nearly 12,000 doctors and between 250 and 300 fully equipped ambulances were ready to handle the crisis, the statement said.

Khaled Mujawir, the governor of Egypt’s North Sinai province, told NBC News on Sunday that 150 injured and sick Palestinians from Gaza are expected to arrive in Egypt on Monday.

The director of the Nasser Medical Complex in the town of Khan Younis told NBC News that Israel had authorized travel for only five patients from a list of 27 that the hospital had submitted for transfer. Delaying the travel of people in need of medical care out of Gaza poses “a real threat to their lives,” said Dr. Atef Al-Hout.

Reopening the crossing in both directions is a key pillar of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and comes just days after the remains of the last hostage held in the enclave were returned to Israel.

The reopening could mark a long-awaited transition to the second phase of the plan, which also involves the disarmament of Hamas, the transfer of power to a new technocratic government and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

But many details remain uncertain and the ceasefire remains fragile.

Israeli strikes on Gaza killed at least 30 Palestinians, including several children, on Saturday, local officials said, a day after Israel accused Hamas of new truce violations. The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas militants and weapons sites in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has killed more than 500 people in Gaza since the start of the ceasefire, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the enclave.