Dozens of Palestinians cross Rafah back into Gaza, families reunited

Forty-one Palestinians returned to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday (Feb. 11) reuniting with relatives after being stranded outside the enclave for a long time, Anadolu reports.

Relatives waited at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as vehicles carrying… pic.twitter.com/VsPpC43aea

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) February 11, 2026

Forty-one Palestinians returned to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday (Feb. 11) reuniting with relatives after being stranded outside the enclave for a long time, Anadolu reports.

Relatives waited at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as vehicles carrying the returnees arrived.

Emotional scenes followed as families came together after months of separation under Israeli restrictions.

Under extremely tight Israeli restrictions, Israel reopened the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on Feb. 2 to allow the passage of people in both directions. Israel has occupied the crossing since May 2024.

Estimates in Gaza indicate that about 22,000 wounded and sick Palestinians hope to leave the territory for treatment abroad, amid what officials describe as a catastrophic collapse of the health sector following Israel’s genocidal war.

Semi-official figures also show that about 80,000 Palestinians have registered to return to Gaza, underscoring the resident’s rejection of displacement and insistence on returning despite widespread destruction.

Although Israeli and Egyptian media had previously reported that up to 50 Palestinians would be allowed to cross the terminal daily in each direction, the numbers have fallen far short. Since the reopening began, only limited groups have crossed in both directions.

Under Israeli conditions, only Palestinians who left Gaza after the outbreak of the war are permitted to return, following intensive security screening.

Returnees, including elderly people and children, have reported undergoing harsh Israeli military interrogations, while stressing their attachment to their land and rejection of displacement.

Before the Israeli war, hundreds of Palestinians crossed Rafah daily in both directions under normal procedures overseen by Gaza’s Interior Ministry and Egyptian authorities, without Israeli involvement.

Israel was supposed to reopen the crossing during the first phase of a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, but failed to do so.

The ceasefire halted an Israeli offensive that began in Oct. 2023, killing over 72,000 Palestinians and wounding more than 171,000 others, while destroying about 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure.

Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli army has continued to violate it, killing 581 Palestinians and wounding 1,553 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.