Rafah Crossing Reopens Under Limited EU Arrangements

By Staff, Agencies

According to "Israeli" media, the Rafah crossing has been reopened on Monday for individuals traveling in both directions under agreed arrangements, allowing 150 people to leave the Gaza Strip daily in exchange for 50 people entering from Egypt.

Under the arrangement, the crossing is operated by the European Union Border Assistance Mission as part of an international mechanism and in coordination with Egyptian authorities.

Operations are scheduled to run for six hours a day, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The “Israeli” army announced on Sunday that it had completed the establishment of a screening and inspection corridor for individuals arriving from Egypt into the Gaza Strip via Rafah, following what it described as a successful trial phase.

It said procedural instructions were provided to Palestinians and to European Union personnel operating the crossing.

The Rafah crossing had remained closed throughout the “Israeli” occupation’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, a closure that worsened hunger, tightened the siege, and contributed to the deaths of Palestinians in the territory.

The ceasefire agreement included a provision stipulating that the Palestinian resistance would hand over all “Israeli” prisoners in exchange for a second phase guaranteeing the withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza and the reopening of the Rafah crossing.

Amid talks on reopening, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported last week that around 20,000 patients with completed medical referrals are awaiting permission to leave Gaza for treatment abroad.

Among them are 440 urgent cases, with 1,268 patients reported to have died while waiting for authorization.

The ministry added that the closure since May 7, 2024, completely halted patient movement, leaving thousands, including 4,000 cancer patients and 4,500 children, without access to critical care.