The Rafah border crossing reopened to pedestrian traffic on both sides on Sunday for the first time since 2025 under the supervision of representatives from Egypt, the European Union, and the IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
Although Israel has already vetted the list of civilians permitted to use the crossing, only a handful of people were expected to do so on Sunday, Walla reported.
COGAT later said Sunday was a sort of “pilot test” during which it had set out to “assess the crossing’s functionality.”
The pilot test was meant to allow operators to rehearse procedures and ensure that all identification screening systems were functioning properly, Walla reported.
People’s free movement between Gaza and Egypt was expected to resume in full on Monday, COGAT said.
About 10 ambulances were prepared to enter the Gaza Strip to evacuate sick and wounded Palestinians, Arab media outlets reported.
Israel agreed to a limited reopening of the crossing under a complete Israeli monitoring mechanism last week, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Discussions on disarming Hamas were expected to begin after the crossing reopens, The Jerusalem Post reported last week, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Based on those sources, a Palestinian technocratic administration in Gaza was slated to lead negotiations with Hamas regarding disarmament.
“The idea is that Palestinians will negotiate with Palestinians,” one of the sources said.
Rafah crossing reopens, sparks criticism from Israeli politicians
The Rafah crossing will be jointly run by Palestinian personnel not affiliated with the Palestinian Authority and European Union observers from the EUBAM Rafah mission.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid on Sunday said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had “folded as usual.”
“The Rafah crossing was opened this morning in both directions, including the presence of representatives of the Palestinian Authority,” he posted on X/Twitter. “The IDF is not there.”
Yisrael Beytenu MK Yulia Malinovsky on Sunday criticized the crossing’s reopening.
“Today is Netanyahu’s day of absolute victory, today the Rafah crossing will open for the benefit of his friends, the Hamas terrorists,” she wrote on X, adding that since April, the government has also expanded operations at the Kerem Shalom crossing to “monstrous dimensions.”
The move, aligned with US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, was contingent on Hamas returning all hostages and on what the Prime Minister’s Office described as a “100% effort” by the terrorist organization to locate and return the remains of all deceased hostages.
After Israel confirmed the identification of St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili’s remains last week, the decision to reopen the Rafah crossing proceeded.
Anna Barsky contributed to this report.