Israel said it would reopen the Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in February in alignment with a ceasefire agreement.
“In accordance with the ceasefire agreement and the directive of the political echelon, the Rafah Crossing will open this coming Sunday (February 1st) in both directions, for limited movement of people only,” the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said. “Exit from and entry into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing will be permitted in coordination with Egypt, following prior security clearance of individuals by Israel, and under the supervision of the European Union mission, similar to the mechanism implemented in January 2025.”
The return of individuals from Egypt to the Gaza Strip will be permitted for those who “left Gaza during the course of the war only, and only after prior security clearance by Israel.”
“In addition to initial identification and screening at the Rafah Crossing by the European Union mission, an additional screening and identification process will be conducted at a designated corridor, operated by the defense establishment in an area under [IDF] control,” COGAT added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office explained that the reopening of Rafah is part of President Trump’s peace plan. “The reopening of the crossing was conditioned upon the return of all living hostages and a 100% effort by Hamas to locate and return all deceased hostages,” the office stated.
The remains of the last hostage, Master-Sgt. Ran Gvili, was discovered this week and served as the end of the recovery process.
