Jerusalem: Israel will reopen the Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt for pedestrian movement in both directions on Sunday, February 1, marking a limited easing of travel restrictions in place since the outbreak of the war.
The Defence Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said the reopening would take place in coordination with Egypt and under the supervision of the European Union mission. Movement through the crossing will be allowed only after prior security clearance by Israel, following a system similar to the one used briefly in January last year.
According to the statement, Palestinians returning from Egypt to Gaza will be permitted to do so only if they left the enclave during the course of the war. All returnees will require advance security approval before entry is granted.
Israeli authorities said the screening process will not end at the crossing itself. In addition to checks carried out by the EU mission at Rafah, travellers will undergo further identification and inspection at a designated corridor controlled by Israel’s defence establishment inside an area under Israeli military control.
COGAT data shows that around 42,000 people left Gaza during the war, many of them seeking refuge or medical treatment in Egypt. The reopening of Rafah is expected to allow some of those residents to return, though officials stressed that movement will remain tightly regulated.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported that four armed men were killed in an airstrike in central Gaza earlier on Friday. The Israel Defense Forces said the men were identified as militants who were moving toward Israeli troops deployed near the Yellow Line, the boundary separating Israeli and Palestinian-controlled areas.
According to the military, soldiers from the Kfir Brigade spotted the gunmen approaching in a manner that posed an immediate threat, prompting the strike.
