Preparations begin for pilot reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing

Israeli military authorities said preparatory work was under way for a pilot reopening of the Rafah border crossing, a limited step that officials described as necessary groundwork before residents can begin to move in both directions. COGAT said “the crossing will reopen in both directions for Gaza residents on foot only and its operation will be coordinated with Egypt and the European Union.” It called the effort “an initial pilot phase” and added that “all involved parties are carrying out a series of preliminary preparations aimed at increasing readiness for full operation of the crossing.” “The actual passage of residents in both directions will begin upon completion of these preparations,” COGAT said.

Officials and sources on the ground reported activity at the Egyptian side of the crossing on Sunday, including staff movements and ambulances passing through the Egyptian gate to join supervisory teams. Palestinian Authority personnel are reported to have arrived to begin work on the Egyptian side, and trucks carrying humanitarian supplies were observed lining up at the gate. At the same time, accounts differed over whether any Palestinians actually crossed on Sunday; some Palestinian officials said wider passenger movement could begin on Monday, while other interlocutors cautioned that the first day remained preparatory.

Operational restrictions are strict. Movement will be limited to Gaza residents on foot, subject to prior Israeli security clearance and EU supervision. An unnamed Israeli security official said the initial daily throughput would be tightly constrained, with “150 Palestinians a day will be allowed to leave Gaza, but only 50 will be allowed to enter.” The Gaza health ministry, operating under Hamas authority, reported that “about 200 patients were waiting to be permitted to leave the territory once the crossing opened,” and a larger aggregate figure in reporting places some 20,000 Gazans on lists waiting to leave for medical care abroad.

The reopening is tied to the U.S.-brokered ceasefire framework and follows the return of the remains of the last Israeli hostage, named in reporting as Ran Gvili or Ran Givili; Israeli authorities signaled that that development cleared the way for the move. Ali Shaath, newly appointed to head the Palestinian administrative committee, framed the moment as symbolic: “Opening Rafah signals Gaza is no longer closed to the future and to the world.”

Economically and logistically, the pilot represents only a marginal loosening of a near-total closure that has been in place since Israeli forces seized Rafah in May 2024. Before the war Rafah was the principal direct exit for most Gazans and a key aid entry point. With movement limited to pedestrians and small daily quotas, immediate market effects will be modest: humanitarian deliveries and medium-term reconstruction supplies will still rely on other crossings and convoy scheduling, and private trade and heavy cargo remain constrained. For households, even modest increases in patient evacuations and family reunifications could relieve acute health and social pressures, but the gap between limited daily pedestrian flows and the tens of thousands reportedly awaiting care implies prolonged bottlenecks.

The pilot also serves as a policy test. EU supervision and Egyptian cooperation reflect an international attempt to balance humanitarian access with Israeli security requirements. Whether the phased reopening scales into sustained commercial and humanitarian throughput will depend on the speed of security clearances, the EU mission’s capacity to supervise, and whether the fragile cessation of hostilities holds. Officials say preparatory steps continue; the crossing’s full operational impact will hinge on whether the pilot expands beyond the narrow categories and quotas now on offer.