Rafah Crossing opens for limited pedestrian passage of Gazans for first time in almost a year

The Rafah Crossing with the Gaza Strip has officially resumed operations for the first time in almost a year, an Israeli security official says.

The crossing was closed last March with the collapse of a ceasefire signed in January 2025.

Yesterday, a day of systems checks and tests was conducted at the crossing, where a team of Palestinian Authority representatives and monitors from the European Union is stationed.

The crossing is open only for the passage of Gazan Palestinian pedestrians, not aid trucks.

It is not immediately clear how many Palestinians have so far crossed in and out of the Strip, though numbers are expected to be limited in the first days of the crossing’s opening.

All Gazan Palestinians seeking to enter or leave the Strip will be required to receive Egyptian approval, and Egypt is to send the names to Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service for clearance.

Israel will supervise the exit of Gazans to Egypt remotely. From a control room, Israeli officers, using facial recognition software, will verify that those leaving the Strip are on the list of approved names and open a gate at the crossing to allow them through.

The entry into Gaza from Egypt will, however, include an Israeli security screening. Those Palestinians will arrive at an IDF checkpoint after passing through the Rafah Crossing. Only afterward will they be permitted to continue toward the Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza.

Despite the reopening of the crossing, Israel is still refusing to allow the unsupervised entry of foreign journalists into Gaza.