Egypt pressing to reopen Rafah crossing for stranded Palestinians; Israeli media reports

Egypt is pressing Israel and the United States to reopen the Rafah crossing in order to allow the return of Palestinians stranded in Egypt during the first phase of the ceasefire arrangements, Israeli media outlets reported.

The Israeli news site Walla quoted a security official as saying that Cairo is exerting pressure on both Israel and Washington to reopen the crossing to facilitate the return of Palestinians who left Gaza and remain stuck in Egypt.

Meanwhile, the newspaper Haaretz reported on Sunday that Israel’s security establishment is finalising preparations to reopen the Rafah crossing in the coming days to allow the entry and exit of Gaza residents.

According to the report, the crossing is expected to reopen in both directions. Under a decision by Israel’s political leadership, residents who previously left Gaza would be permitted to return via Rafah, subject to security screening and monitoring procedures.

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Haaretz said European forces are expected to play a central role in supervising the operation of the crossing and are currently in Israel preparing for deployment.

Israel’s Channel 12 also reported that the security establishment is awaiting formal instructions from the political leadership to reopen Rafah, adding that the inspection mechanism at the crossing will be electronic.

The crossing had been scheduled to reopen in October 2025 as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Israel, however, did not adhere to that timeline, linking the opening to the release of all Israeli prisoners held by Palestinian resistance groups.

For its part, Egypt has repeatedly denied coordinating with Israel to open the crossing in one direction only. Egyptian officials have stressed that any agreement to reopen Rafah must allow movement in both directions, in line with a letter from US President Donald Trump.

Israeli forces fully closed the Rafah crossing after taking control of the city on 6 May 2024, destroying and burning its facilities and preventing Palestinians from travelling in or out of the Gaza Strip.

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