The Israeli decision comes hours after the Palestinian embassy in Cairo announced that Rafah would be reopened on Monday to allow Palestinians residing in Egypt to return to Gaza territory.
The Rafah border crossing, between Gaza and Egypt, will remain closed “until further notice”, the Israeli Government announced this Saturday, which made the reopening conditional on the return of the bodies of hostages still held by Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “ordered the Rafah border crossing to remain closed until further notice,” his office said in a statement, adding that “its reopening will be considered based on Hamas’ compliance with its obligations regarding the return of hostages and the bodies of the dead, as well as the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.”
The Israeli decision comes hours after the Palestinian embassy in Cairo announced that Rafah would be reopened on Monday to allow Palestinians residing in Egypt to return to Gaza territory.
On Thursday, the Israeli authorities had already clarified that, when the crossing was reopened, only the movement of people would be authorized, excluding the sending of humanitarian aid.
The Israeli Army took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in May 2024, alleging that the facilities were being “used for terrorist purposes” and for arms smuggling.
Since that time, access has remained heavily restricted, including for United Nations officials.
The border was reopened on a limited basis during the previous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on January 19 this year.
