On Thursday, Israel revealed plans to reopen the Rafah border crossing, facilitating travel between Gaza and Egypt for the first time since May 2024.
The Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), responsible for managing humanitarian and civil operations in Gaza, announced that the crossing is set to open this Sunday, February 1st. It will allow limited movement for individuals traveling in both directions.
COGAT stated, “Residents returning from Egypt to the Gaza Strip will be allowed entry, coordinated with Egyptian authorities, specifically for those who left during the wartime, contingent upon prior security clearance by Israel.”
The process involves initial identification and screening at the Rafah Crossing by an EU mission, followed by an additional security check at a designated corridor under Israeli Defense Forces control.
An Egyptian military vehicle is stationed near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, as seen in Rafah, Egypt, on August 6, 2025. (Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)
This marks the first instance of the Rafah crossing being opened for people since Israel took control of the area in May 2024. The capture was part of a strategy to curb arms smuggling into Gaza by Hamas, according to Reuters.
In early 2025, there was an evacuation of medical patients along the route during a temporary ceasefire, The Associated Press reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had said Sunday that Israel agreed to a “limited reopening” of the crossing under President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
A truck carrying humanitarian aid at the Rafah border on the Egyptian side, in Rafah, Egypt, on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Reuters)
“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 Office of the Prime Minister of Israel wrote.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the reopening was contingent on the return of all living hostages and what it described as a “100 percent effort” by Hamas to locate and return the remains of all deceased hostages.
Israeli soldiers drive past destroyed buildings in Rafah in the Gaza Strip on Sept. 13, 2024. (Sharon Aronowicz/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel on Monday then confirmed that the remains of Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza, have been recovered and returned home after 842 days.
