Gaza border crossing prepared for reopening as limited travel allowed

Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt is busy with activity as Israel said limited travel to and from the territory is set to resume after years of near-complete isolation.

Reopening the border crossing is a key step as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire moves ahead.

Israel announced on Sunday that the crossing has opened in a test. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls aid to Gaza, said the crossing is actively being prepared for fuller operation, adding residents of Gaza will begin to pass through the crossing once preparations are complete.

Palestinian security officers passed through the crossing’s Egyptian gate on Sunday and headed towards the Palestinian gate to join an EU mission that will be supervising exit and entry, an Egyptian official said. Ambulances also crossed through the Egyptian gate.

The head of the new Palestinian administrative committee governing Gaza’s daily affairs has said travel in both directions will start Monday.

Rafah, which Palestinians see as their gateway to the world, has been largely shut since it was seized by Israel in May 2024.

Few people will be allowed at first, and no goods will be allowed to cross. About 20,000 Palestinian children and adults needing medical care are hoping to leave war-devastated Gaza via the crossing, and thousands of other Palestinians outside the territory hope to return home.

Zaher al-Wahidi, head of the Health Ministry’s documentation department in Gaza, said the ministry has not yet been notified about the start of medical evacuations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will allow 50 patients a day to leave. An official involved in the discussions said each patient would be allowed to travel with two relatives, while some 50 people who left Gaza during the war would be allowed to return each day.

Israel has said it and Egypt will vet people for exit and entry through the crossing, which will be supervised by European Union border patrol agents. The number of travellers is expected to increase over time if the system is successful.

Israeli troops seized and closed the Rafah crossing in May 2024, calling it part of efforts to combat weapons smuggling by Hamas. The crossing was briefly opened for the evacuation of medical patients during a ceasefire in early 2025.

Israel had resisted reopening the Rafah crossing, but the recovery of the remains of the last hostage in Gaza last week cleared the way to move forward.

The reopening is a key step as last year’s US-brokered ceasefire agreement, which took effect on October 10, moves into its second phase.

The second phase is more complicated. It calls for installing a new Palestinian committee to govern Gaza, deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, and taking steps to begin rebuilding.