Daijiworld Media Network - Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Jan 26: Israel announced on Monday that it will allow only pedestrian traffic through the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt as part of a “limited reopening,” contingent upon recovering the remains of the last hostage in the Palestinian territory.
The Rafah crossing, a critical lifeline for humanitarian aid into Gaza, has remained closed since Israeli forces took control during the October 2023 conflict. Its reopening forms part of a truce framework brokered with US support, though the crossing has yet to become fully operational.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office clarified that reopening would be “for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism” and contingent on “the return of all living hostages and a 100 percent effort by Hamas to locate and return all deceased hostages.” It remains unclear whether medical evacuations through Rafah will be permitted.
The move follows US envoys’ recent visits to Jerusalem, where they reportedly urged Israeli authorities to allow greater humanitarian access to Gaza, which has endured more than two years of war and relies heavily on international aid for food, medical supplies, and other essentials.
Israeli military forces have been searching a cemetery in Gaza for the remains of Ran Gvili, the final hostage taken during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Gvili, a non-commissioned officer in the elite Yassam unit, was killed in action on the day of the attack. All other hostages, totaling 251, have been returned, either alive or deceased. Hamas has provided mediators with information regarding the location of Gvili’s body.
Gaza’s newly appointed administrator, Ali Shaath, had earlier indicated that the crossing would open “in both directions” this week, calling Rafah “more than a gate, it is a lifeline and a symbol of opportunity” for Palestinians.
Gvili’s family has expressed strong opposition to any reopening before his remains are returned, stating, “First and foremost, Ran must be brought home.”
The ongoing conflict, triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack, killed 1,221 people in Israel and devastated Gaza. Israeli retaliation has left much of the territory flattened and severely impacted by the longstanding blockade. According to Gaza’s health ministry, over 71,657 people have died in Gaza during the two-year conflict, figures considered reliable by the United Nations.
The Rafah crossing, prior to the war, was Gaza’s only direct link to the outside world, allowing the entry of humanitarian aid and movement for its 2.2 million residents. The limited reopening underscores both the fragility of the ceasefire arrangement and the humanitarian urgency facing the territory.