Hamas says opening Rafah crossing is a right and urges monitoring of Israeli actions

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem has said that opening the Rafah crossing is a right for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, warning that any Israeli obstacles or conditions would amount to a violation of the ceasefire agreement and international law.

Speaking on Sunday, Qassem said the Rafah crossing should have been reopened at the start of the first phase of the agreement, but accused the Israeli occupation of delaying it and arbitrarily linking its opening to the handover of the body of the last prisoner in Gaza.

“Opening the Rafah crossing is a right of the Palestinian people in Gaza,” he said, according to the Safa news agency.

Qassem added that Palestinians have the right to freely enter and leave the Gaza Strip, arguing that this right is guaranteed under international law.

He also called on mediators to monitor the occupation’s behaviour closely, warning against the “restructuring of the siege in another form”.

The Rafah border crossing began operating on a trial basis from the Palestinian side on Sunday morning, after more than a year and a half of near-total closure.

Shadi Othman, media officer at the European Union office in Jerusalem, said the crossing would undergo a “trial run” aimed at facilitating the movement of Palestinians to and from Gaza.

In comments to Voice of Palestine radio, Othman said the main objective at this stage is to ensure the crossing remains open in both directions and that residents can enter and leave smoothly.

READ: Rafah crossing officially reopens