Rafah reopening was imposed on Israel by Gaza mediators, officials tell ToI

By Jacob Magid

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23 January 2026, 9:42 pm

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Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

This picture taken on November 1, 2023 shows a view of the gate to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip (Mohammed ABED / AFP)

The reopening of the Rafah Crossing was imposed on Israel, a US official and an Arab diplomat tell The Times of Israel.

The Arab diplomat says mediators of the Gaza ceasefire recognized that Israel wasn’t going to agree on its own to reopen the border gate between Egypt and Gaza.

While Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war envisioned the reopening of Rafah at the start of the ceasefire that was reached in October, Israel has sought to limit its use to the exit of Gazans while insisting on the return of the final hostage and the disarmament of Hamas before making the gate fully operational.

Recognizing that Israel wasn’t going to budge on the issue, Gaza mediators decided to go ahead and announce Rafah’s reopening this week during the signing ceremony for the Board of Peace in Davos, Switzerland, the Arab diplomat says.

The reopening was first announced by the chief commissioner of the National Committee for the Administration of Palestine, with the Arab diplomat explaining that it was part of the Gaza mediators’ effort to secure quick wins for NCAG, the 12-member panel of Palestinian technocrats tasked with replacing Hamas in running Gaza’s daily affairs.

The Arab diplomat says Israel was informed ahead of time that the announcement was going to be made, even if it wasn’t consulted.

The issue was raised during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meetings with Trump and his top aides in Florida last month, where Washington made clear that it expected Israel to reopen Rafah, a US official says, adding that the Israeli premier indicated that he would comply.

Even after the announcement in Davos, Netanyahu’s office has held off on confirming that Rafah will indeed reopen next week, instead issuing a statement to reporters attributed to an anonymous Israeli official who said that the security cabinet would discuss the issue at the beginning of the week, previewing a meeting whose conclusion appeared foregone.

The Prime Minister’s Office does not respond to a request for comment.