Israel to reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing on Feb 1

GAZA CITY

Fuel and humanitarian aid trucks enter through the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing. (AFP)

Israel on Jan. 30 said that it will reopen Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt in both directions over the weekend, allowing Palestinians to enter and leave the territory after nearly two years of closure.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, said in a statement on Jan. 30 that “limited movement of people only” would be allowed.

The reopening of the Rafah crossing on Feb. 1 will mark an important step forward for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan. The crossing, Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world, has been largely closed since May 2024.

Both Israel and Egypt will vet individuals for exit and entry through the crossing, which will be supervised by European Union border patrol agents.

Palestinians who left Gaza during the war will be allowed to return upon getting Israeli security clearance.

Israel had resisted reopening the crossing, but the recovery of the remains of the last hostage in Gaza on Jan. 26 cleared the way to move forward.

Preparations are underway to let a limited number of medical evacuees leave Gaza first. That's a significant shift from before the war, when most exited through Israel, according to World Health Organization data.

There are conflicting reports on how many people can cross each day. The Israeli official said 50 Palestinians will be allowed in and 50 out daily. The person familiar with discussions said 50 would be allowed in daily and 150 out.

That means a long wait for many of the estimated 20,000 sick and wounded that the territory’s health ministry says need treatment outside Gaza. At a rate of 50 evacuations a day, it would take more than a year for everyone to leave.