Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt has reopened for the limited movement of people after nearly two years of closure, offering a rare and fragile lifeline to Palestinians trapped in the enclave.
Officials said the crossing reopened on Monday, allowing small numbers of Palestinians to travel in and out of Gaza through its only border that does not lead to Israel. The reopening follows a United States-brokered ceasefire that halted the war between Israel and Hamas in October.
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The Rafah crossing has been largely shut since May 2024, when Israeli forces captured the Gaza side. Since then, thousands of Palestinians have been unable to leave for medical treatment, reunite with family abroad, or return home from Egypt.
“This crossing is our window to the world,” said Sabrine al Dama, a Palestinian mother hoping to travel with her sick daughter. “We are exhausted, but we still have hope.”
The reopening, however, comes with tight limits. Israeli and Egyptian authorities are capping the number of travellers, and Israel is carrying out intensive security checks. Israeli media reports say only 50 patients, each accompanied by one or two relatives, will be allowed to leave Gaza per day. A similar number of Palestinians stranded abroad will be permitted to return.
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According to local hospitals and the World Health Organization, around 20,000 sick and wounded Palestinians are waiting for medical evacuation. Aid groups warn that the current pace will barely make a dent in the growing humanitarian need.
European Union monitors have arrived at the crossing to oversee operations. The European Union Border Assistance Mission is administering the Palestinian side, while Israel conducts remote security screening. Egyptian authorities are also vetting travellers entering and leaving through Rafah.
An Israeli security official confirmed the crossing had “now opened to the movement of residents, for both entry and exit” following the deployment of European teams, according to Reuters.
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Egyptian state-aligned media said the first group of Palestinians returning from Egypt had already crossed back into Gaza, describing the move as part of Cairo’s efforts to ease movement through Rafah.
For families like the al Damas, time is critical. Sabrine al Dama told the BBC she hopes to donate a kidney to her 16-year-old daughter, Rawa, whose condition worsened during the war due to food shortages and lack of proper care.
“Before the war, she was monitored and treated,” she said. “Now she is on dialysis. We need to travel quickly before it is too late.”
The crossing was meant to reopen earlier under the first phase of Trump’s ceasefire plan, but Israel delayed the move until Hamas returned the body of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza. The Israeli military said last week it had recovered the remains of Master Sergeant Ran Gvili, who was abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
That attack killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 71,790 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Before its capture by Israeli forces in 2024, Rafah served as the main exit route for Palestinians and a key entry point for humanitarian aid. Today, aid from Egypt is redirected through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing.
While the reopening has brought cautious relief, many Palestinians remain frustrated that no goods are allowed through and that movement is still tightly controlled.
