It came into force last October 10. Since then, the Palestinians of Gaza have been waiting for the Rafah border crossing to open, in the south, bordering Egypt, key for the entry of essential goods, from food to fuel, from shelter material to medicine, and essential for the exit of Palestinians from the strip, especially for medical purposes. Today, 54 days later, the Government has confirmed that it will reopen the passage in the coming days. For now, it will be to allow the transit of Gazans to Egypt, according to an official statement.
La claims there are more than 16,500 sick and injured people who need to leave the coastal enclave to receive medical care.
Tel Aviv made a double announcement this Wednesday: that the latest partial human remains returned by Islamic militants do not match those of the hostages who remain on the strip and that it plans to reopen the crossing, as is eagerly expected. The missing remains of two hostages (Israeli Ran Gvili and Thai Sudthisak Rinthalak) have been threatening for days to stop the armistice, in its first phase. Netanyahu has been clinging to this for weeks to not reopen Rafah, also adding that there were incidents in the area with Hamas and that he was pending the “implementation of the agreed framework.” The humanitarian crisis has worsened greatly, meanwhile, with the arrival of cold and rain.
However, by promising to open Rafah, Israel shows that, despite its complaints and the gaps about the immediate future and the second phase of the agreement, there is progress, there is some understanding and, possibly, also more pressure from Washington to act, when the team understands that Hamas is trying to do its part: delivering bodies is not easy in the midst of the chaos of rubble and destruction and internal violence is being controlled with . The first phase of the plan is supposed to conclude with the return of those two remaining hostages. The party-militia says that the search will continue today.
Following the exchanges, the plan calls for the creation of an international stabilization force, the formation of a technocratic Palestinian government and the disarmament of Hamas.
Why is it important
The statement about the opening of Rafah came from COGAT, the Israeli military body tasked with facilitating aid to Gaza. In an official note this morning, it indicates that Israel will coordinate with Egypt the departure of the Palestinians, under the supervision of a mission from the European Union (EU), in which Spain has also traditionally worked, with the Civil Guard. Those who wish to leave the strip will need approval from Israeli security authorities, it is stated.
The ceasefire agreement requires that the crossing be opened for medical evacuations and for travel to and from the strip and these days Israel has been repeatedly asked to take the step, especially from the United Nations. An Israeli official, who spoke anonymously to assess current operational plans, stated that “all Palestinians who want to leave Gaza will be able to do so through Rafah, as long as Egypt agrees to receive them.” The official added that the EU “still needs to make some logistical adjustments before the crossing can be opened,” hence an exact date was not given.
The crossing was completely closed in May 2024, when the Israeli Army invaded the area. It opened very briefly in February this year for the evacuation of sick and wounded Palestinians for treatment, as part of the penultimate ceasefire. Until the absolute closure, this was Gaza’s only window to the world, both for the transit of people and cargo not controlled by Israel.
Until now, in the current armistice, only the Zikim, Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings have been open, which operate exclusively for the entry of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave and have a border with Israeli soil. These steps were already used before the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, for the entry of aid limited by the blockade imposed by Israel after the Islamists took power in 2007, after winning the elections.
The southern area, Israel says, remains complicated because there are “hundreds” of Hamas militiamen entrenched and there have been incidents with Israeli troops since the ceasefire, not of any importance in recent weeks, with the waters calmer.
Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, visits the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza, 28 November 2025.
Rampant humanitarian crisis
The Government’s Operations Room on the Entry of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza reported this morning, through a Telegram channel, that the volume of essential goods entering the strip “remains critically low and insufficient.” In recent weeks, “the daily average has been just 287 trucks, well below the minimum required of 1,000 trucks per day to meet basic humanitarian needs.” Before the start of Israel’s offensive, between 500 and 600 entered the territory per day, when the needs of the population, being high, had no comparison with the current ones.
This same source indicates that approximately 41% of the trucks that arrived these days were commercial shipments, carrying mainly non-essential items rather than urgent relief supplies. “The drastic decrease in vital supplies, such as food, water, medicine and shelter materials, continues to aggravate the humanitarian catastrophe throughout the Strip, leaving families exposed to serious daily hardships: exposure to cold, hunger, dehydration, disease and lack of adequate shelter,” it denounces.
Therefore, it reiterates its “urgent call” to the international community “to take immediate measures and exert effective pressure on the occupying authorities to open all border crossings without restrictions and allow the safe, sustained and unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance.”
Recent heavy rains in Gaza have dramatically aggravated the already desperate humanitarian crisis, causing flooding in displaced people’s camps and destroying the few remaining shelters and belongings of innocent civilians. Water bogs down everything and significantly increases the risk of waterborne diseases, due to the collapse of sanitation systems and lack of access to safe drinking supplies, a critical problem already persistent in Gaza.
Many muddy streets have been blocked, further preventing humanitarian aid trucks from reaching affected areas, further hampering relief efforts.
The situation is particularly serious for the most vulnerable groups, such as children, pregnant women and the elderly, who face a higher risk of severe malnutrition and respiratory diseases related to cold and humidity.
The Gaza Health Ministry says the Palestinian death toll has exceeded 70,100. It does not distinguish between militants and civilians, although it states that approximately half of those killed are women and children. Independent sources such as the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research estimate that, .
