From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 4, 2026
Palestinian source reportedly says Rafah crossing expected to reopen mid-January, staffed by PA
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The Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and Gaza is expected to reopen this month and be staffed by the Palestinian Authority, says an unnamed Palestinian source cited by Sky News Arabia.
Israel, which has accused Hamas of using the Rafah crossing to smuggle arms, publicly rejects any postwar role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza’s post-war governance. US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, however, envisions the PA taking part in governing the Strip after it undergoes reform.
According to the source cited by Sky News, PA Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh and intelligence chief Majed Faraj arrived in Gaza today for talks on the PA’s role in operating the crossing, which is expected to reopen in mid-January.
At the beginning of the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, “the Palestinian Authority’s role will be limited to the administration of the Rafah crossing,” says the source.
The crossing will be manned by about 200 civilian technicians, PA presidential guard soldiers and intelligence officers, with European and Israeli forces monitoring the crossing “from afar,” the source says.
The source adds that the PA forces will operate according to a deal that Israel and the PA agreed to in November 2005, before Hamas ousted the PA from Gaza in 2007.
Under that agreement, the PA staffed the Rafah crossing, but had to consult regularly with Israel and submit to oversight by a third party. A civilian EU mission to help monitor the crossing began work there in 2005, but was suspended after Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007.
Israel has publicly refused to open the Rafah crossing in both directions until the last hostage, slain police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, is returned. However, Channel 12 reported Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to order the crossing be reopened, with an Israeli “inspection site” on the IDF-controlled Gazan side, among other concessions he made to Trump during their meeting in Florida late last month.
Agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.