Gaza’s Rafah border crossing partially reopens under ceasefire deal

Gaza’s Rafah borderline crossing with Egypt resumed constricted operations Monday nether the presumption of the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire agreement, reopening a captious gateway that had been mostly closed for astir 2 years.

The reopening comes with choky restrictions. Only a tiny fig of radical volition beryllium permitted to question successful either absorption and commercialized goods volition not beryllium allowed to walk done the crossing, officials said.

Egyptian authorities said the archetypal time of operations volition let up to 50 Palestinians to transverse successful each direction, a fig that reflects the constrictive scope of the archetypal reopening alternatively than a afloat instrumentality to prewar travel.

Health officials successful Gaza accidental tens of thousands of residents with urgent aesculapian needs are seeking evacuation done Rafah, underscoring the unit connected the crossing adjacent arsenic entree remains tightly controlled. Thousands of Palestinians presently extracurricular Gaza are besides hoping to return.

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Ambulances enactment up to participate the Egyptian gross of the Rafah crossing connected the mode to the Gaza Strip, successful Rafah, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohamed Arafat)

Before the war, Rafah served arsenic Gaza’s superior transition to the extracurricular world. All different crossings into the territory are shared with Israel. Under the ceasefire model that took effect successful October, Israeli forces proceed to power the corridor betwixt the crossing and the areas wherever astir Palestinians live.

Israel and Egypt are vetting travelers, and the crossing is being overseen with planetary involvement, officials said, arsenic portion of efforts to forestall weapons smuggling portion allowing constricted humanitarian movement.

A crane enters the Egyptian gross of the Rafah crossing to the Gaza Strip, successful Rafah, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026.  (AP Photo/Mohamed Arafat)

Egypt has said the crossing indispensable relation successful some directions and has pushed backmost against immoderate usage of Rafah arsenic a mechanics to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza.

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Elsewhere successful the territory, fighting-related incidents continued contempt the ceasefire. Gaza infirmary officials accused an Israeli navy vas of firing connected a structure campy adjacent the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis, sidesplitting a 3-year-old Palestinian boy. Israel’s subject said it was reviewing the report.

Egyptian authorities said astir 150 hospitals crossed the state are prepared to person patients evacuated from Gaza, portion the Egyptian Red Crescent has acceptable up enactment areas connected the Egyptian broadside of the crossing.

A motortruck carrying humanitarian assistance astatine the Rafah borderline connected the Egyptian side, successful Rafah, Egypt, connected Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.  (Reuters)

Israel seized power of the Rafah crossing successful May 2024, describing the determination arsenic portion of its run against Hamas smuggling routes. The crossing was concisely opened for aesculapian evacuations during a short-lived ceasefire successful aboriginal 2025.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect connected Oct. 10 halted much than 2 years of warring that began with the Hamas-led panic attacks connected confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023. The ceasefire's archetypal signifier focused connected hostage exchanges, accrued humanitarian assistance and a constricted Israeli pullback.

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A 2nd signifier envisions a caller Palestinian governing statement for Gaza, the deployment of an planetary information force, the disarmament of Hamas and steps toward reconstruction — goals that stay unresolved.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.