Gaza's Rafah Border Crossing reopened to pedestrian traffic on Sunday morning, for the first time since 2025, under the supervision of representatives from Egypt, the European Union, and the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
Although the lists of civilians crossing have already been approved by Israel, only a handful of crossings are expected on Sunday, according to Walla, allowing operators to rehearse procedures and ensure that all identification screening systems are functioning properly.
Approximately 10 ambulances are also preparing to enter the Gaza Strip in order to evacuate sick and injured Palestinians, according to Arab media.
Israel agreed to a limited reopening of the crossing under a full Israeli monitoring mechanism last week, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Also last week, The Jerusalem Post, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported that discussions on disarming Hamas are expected to begin after the crossing reopens.
According to the sources, a Palestinian technocratic administration in Gaza is 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 crossing will be run by Palestinian personnel who are not affiliated with the Palestinian Authority and do not wear PA uniforms, alongside European Union observers from the EUBAM mission.
"Smotrich and Ben Gvir folded as usual: the Rafah crossing was opened this morning in both directions, including the presence of representatives of the Palestinian Authority. The IDF is not there," Opposition head Yair Lapid posted to X/Twitter on Sunday, criticizing the opening of the crossing.
MK Yulia Mallinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu) also slammed the crossing's reopening in a Sunday post to X/Twitter.
"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, noting that since April, the government has also greatly 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, living and deceased, and on what the PMO described as a “100% effort” by Hamas to locate and return the remains of all deceased hostages.
The decision to reopen the crossing also came before Israel confirmed the identification of St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili's remains on Monday.
Anna Barsky contributed to this report.