A crane enters the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing to the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt. (AP Photo)
Rafah border, Gaza’s only border crossing with Egypt, reopened on Monday after Israel closed it nearly two years ago, according to an Israeli security official. A small number of Palestinians have been allowed to enter and exit the war-torn territory, reports stated.
The Rafah crossing has been closed since May 2024 when the Gazan side was captured by Israeli forces. The Rafah crossing was supposed to reopen during the first phase of ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas in October which was backed by US President Donald Trump.
However, the reopening of the Rafah border was delayed by the Israeli government until it received the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza, which took place last week.
Ambulances line up to enter the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing on the way to the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt. (AP Photo/Mohamed Arafat)
The reopening of the Rafah crossing comes as a relief to Palestinians but only a handful number of them are being allowed to access the border and no goods are allowed to pass through, BBC reported.
Why is Gaza’s Rafah crossing important
According to local hospitals and the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 20,000 sick and injured Palestinians are in line to leave Gaza for treatment.
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Currently, the Rafah crossing is being operated by the European Union as the final step of the first-phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal which came into effect in October last year.
According to Egypt’s state-affiliated AlQahera News, only 50 people will be allowed to cross the border both ways per day for the first few days. The news outlet reported that the crossing had “received the first batch of Palestinians returning from Egypt to the Gaza Strip”.
The Israeli authorities said a trial opening of the crossing took place on Sunday and it was completed successfully.
Before the Rafah border area was seized by the Israeli forces in 2024, the crossing served as the main exit point for Palestinians who were allowed to leave the territory during war time and the crossing also served as a main entry point for humanitarian aid.
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A crane enters the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing to the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt. (AP Photo) 
