Reopening of the Rafah crossing with the entry into force of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas
The Rafah crossing will be reopened to allow passage between Gaza and Egypt after Israel and Hamas agree to the peace agreement and the first phase of the ceasefire.
The European Union Border Assistance Monitoring Mission (EUBAM) will resume its duties, according to a statement from Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on Friday. The crossing will reopen on Tuesday.
“On Sunday, October 12, operations to release Israeli hostages and release Palestinian prisoners will begin,” Crosetto said, according to a translation. He added, “The Israelis are working to restore the logistical function of the crossing’s infrastructure as quickly as possible.”
Crosetto added that approximately 600 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid “will flow from crossings other than Rafah” daily. He also authorized the continuation of Italian operations as part of the EUBAM mission, according to the statement.
Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
Israel took control of Rafah in May 2024, preceded by the IDF issuing an order for 100,000 Palestinians in eastern Rafah to “immediately evacuate”, followed by “targeted strikes” hours later. At that stage of the war, Rafah was the last crossing for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
On Friday, tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to the northern region of the territories after the ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that his government agreed to release about 2,000 Palestinians detained by Israel in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas.
UN officials said they had asked Israel to open more crossings for humanitarian aid to enter the war-torn lands. Humanitarian partners have begun deploying ambulances, fuel, medical materials and other vital items through the Kerem Shalom crossing, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told The Associated Press.
President Trump is expected to travel to Israel and Egypt starting Sunday to oversee the peace agreement.
While the ceasefire was in effect, Israel launched air strikes on the Lebanese village of Al-Musaylih, killing one person. The Lebanese Ministry of Health said the air strikes also destroyed a highway linking Beirut to parts of southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army targeted “Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure” in southern Lebanon, according to a statement shared on the social media site X.
