Rafah border crossing opens for trial; ‘limited passage’ of Palestinians to start from Monday
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File photo of the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip
Israel will supervise the exit of Gazans to Egypt remotely. Israeli officers in a control room will use facial recognition software to verify that those leaving the Strip are on the list of approved names and open a gate at the crossing to let them through.
The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt reopened “on a trial basis” on Sunday for systems checks and tests before opening it for pedestrians on Monday, said Israeli authorities. The crossing has been effectively remained closed for over a year. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) agency said the crossing between Gaza and Egypt had reopened and that a “pilot is underway to test and assess the operation of the crossing.” Pedestrians would be able to cross the border on Monday.
‘Limited passage' of Palestinians in both directions from Monday
COGAT said the crossing would open for “limited passage” of Gazan Palestinians in both directions, in accordance with the ceasefire deal. It said the “pilot phase” on Sunday was being “conducted in coordination with the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM), Egypt, and all relevant stakeholders.”
The reopening is likely to facilitate the entry of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), established to oversee the day-to-day governance of the territory’s 2.2 million residents. The committee, established under the ceasefire deal, will be supervised by the so-called ‘Board of Peace’ chaired by US President Donald Trump.
‘50 patients seeking medical treatment to leave every day’
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PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will allow 50 medical patients to leave every day.
All Gazan Palestinians seeking to enter or leave will need Egyptian approval, and Egypt will send the names to Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service for clearance.
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Israel will supervise the exit of Gazans to Egypt remotely. Israeli officers in a control room will use facial recognition software to verify that those leaving the Strip are on the list of approved names and open a gate at the crossing to let them through.
The entry into Gaza from Egypt will also include an Israeli security screening.
The IDF and security officials said that Hamas used the Rafah Crossing to bring in weapons and other supplies for its military wing before the war without any Israeli oversight.
