Israel to reopen Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt on Sunday

A truck enters the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing Picture: Mohamed Arafat/AP

Israel has said 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 Friday that “limited movement of people only” would be allowed.

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

Asmahan Belal inside her tent in Gaza City where she lives with her five children, separated from her husband who has been stranded in Egypt for more than two years (Jehad Alshrafi/AP)

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 Monday cleared the way to move forward.