Reopening of the Rafah crossing postponed

According to the first phase of the agreement signed between Hamas and the Zionist regime, which took effect at noon on Friday, the Rafah crossing was supposed to reopen on Wednesday. Yet, in a statement issued today, the office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) of the Israeli army declared that preparations for reopening the crossing for individuals are still in progress, in coordination between Israel and Egypt.

The office added that the exact date for reopening the Rafah crossing — again, only for the passage of individuals — will be announced later, after all necessary preparations and cooperation between the Egyptian and Israeli sides are completed.

According to the Arabi21 newspaper, the Israeli institution emphasized in its statement that humanitarian aid will not be transferred through the Rafah crossing and that no agreement has been made on this matter at any stage.

It further clarified that humanitarian assistance, after undergoing Israeli security inspections, will continue to enter the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing and other designated points.

Since May 2024, the Zionist regime has occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, demolishing and setting fire to its facilities, and has prevented Palestinians from passing through it. This has created a severe humanitarian crisis, particularly for patients in need of urgent medical care.

Israeli media outlets have reported that Tel Aviv’s refusal to reopen Rafah stems from the fact that Hamas has not yet delivered all the bodies of Israeli captives. Meanwhile, Hamas stated that it handed over 20 Israeli captives alive and 10 bodies to the Red Cross on Monday, and explained that retrieving the remaining 18 bodies requires special equipment and tools for search and recovery operations.