Israel relocates screening facility for Palestinians returning to Gaza from Egypt

Israel has relocated its screening facility for Palestinians returning to the Gaza Strip from Egypt to the Kerem Shalom Crossing, instead of a military post in Rafah.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announces that as part of the ceasefire agreement, “a pilot has been launched to relocate the Israeli security screening conducted for residents returning from Egypt to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing.”

Previously, Palestinians returning to Gaza from Egypt would be screened at the IDF’s “Regavim” checkpoint, located in Rafah.

The screening and identification procedures have now been relocated to Kerem Shalom, and they will be conducted by the Defense Ministry’s Land Crossings Authority, alongside other security bodies, according to COGAT.

“This is an operational adjustment intended to streamline the crossing process, enhance screening capabilities, and ensure the continued safe and efficient operation of the mechanism,” COGAT says.

COGAT says this change only relates to the Israeli screening process. The movement through the Rafah Crossing itself remains unchanged, including “coordination with Egypt and the World Health Organization (WHO), Israel’s prior security approval process, the supervision of the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM), and the mechanism governing the departure of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.”