Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Ministers reportedly decide to keep Rafah Crossing shut, bucking US pressure amid anger over Board of Peace
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Egyptian ambulances cross the Rafah border crossing toward Gaza on February 1, 2025, to transport Palestinian patients out of the Strip. (Kerolos Salah/AFP)
A small group of senior cabinet ministers on Sunday decided against reopening the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, bucking US demands that the gate resume operating as envisioned by President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war, the Ynet news site reports.
The decision came amid Israeli frustration over the inclusion of senior officials from Turkey and Qatar in the Board of Peace’s Gaza Executive Board, which will be overseeing the postwar management of Gaza.
Israel has also argued that it shouldn’t reopen Rafah in both directions before Hamas agrees to disarm and returns the body of the final Israeli hostage, Ran Gvili.
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