Uncertainty surrounds reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing amid ongoing ceasefire tensions
Confusion persisted on Wednesday over the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing, as Israeli authorities announced that the border would remain closed for logistical reasons despite earlier reports suggesting it would open for humanitarian aid.
Israeli officials explained that technical inspections required before reopening the crossing were still in progress. Meanwhile, 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were scheduled to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, a nearby entry point used for commercial and relief operations.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN had reported that the government would allow the Rafah crossing to reopen to facilitate the entry of aid from Egypt into the Palestinian enclave. “Six hundred trucks of humanitarian aid will be dispatched to the Gaza Strip by the UN, approved international organizations, the private sector, and donor countries,” the outlet stated without citing specific sources.
The confusion followed a series of tense exchanges between Israel and Hamas regarding the implementation of their ceasefire agreement. On Tuesday, Israel had warned it would keep the Rafah crossing shut, accusing Hamas of failing to comply with the truce terms, including the return of the remains of deceased hostages still held in Gaza.
According to KAN, the decision to reopen Rafah was made by Israel’s political leadership after Hamas handed over the remains of four additional hostages late Tuesday under the ongoing ceasefire deal. The agreement, brokered by US President Donald Trump, required Hamas to return all hostages, alive or deceased, within 72 hours of the truce taking effect the previous Friday.
While the group released 20 living hostages on schedule, Israel said that only eight of the 28 deceased hostages had been returned by Tuesday evening. Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir warned that aid deliveries would be suspended if Hamas failed to surrender the remaining bodies of Israeli soldiers.
Reports indicated that the decision to permit limited aid through Rafah was also influenced by Israel’s expectation that Hamas would return four more bodies on Wednesday, though the militant group had not yet confirmed this.
The United Nations and several humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called for the reopening of Rafah, Gaza’s primary humanitarian lifeline, as the enclave faces a worsening crisis after two years of conflict sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
In late August, the UN declared famine conditions in Gaza, a claim strongly rejected by Israel, which continues to control the territory’s access points and aid flow.
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