Rafah crossing set to open today for pedestrian traffic in both directions

The Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt is slated to open for pedestrian traffic in both directions today, in accordance with the ceasefire deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that 50 Gazans and their families will be permitted to enter via the crossing per day, while there will be no restrictions on the number allowed to leave.

As of this morning, there has yet to be any reported movement at the crossing.

According to data from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), some 42,000 Gazans left the Strip during the war, the vast majority of them patients seeking medical treatment abroad or dual citizens.

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

Israeli officials said each name would be looked at individually, and if any top terror commanders seek to leave Gaza, they would be denied.

A team of Palestinian Authority representatives and monitors from the European Union stationed at the crossing will be tasked with conducting security screenings at the crossing for those leaving the Strip.

Israel will only 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 up a gate at the crossing to allow them through.

The entry into Gaza from Egypt will, however, include an Israeli security screening, as 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.