Netanyahu, Katz deny reported Israeli plan to reopen Gaza’s Erez Crossing next week

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday denied that Israel would reopen the Erez Crossing into the Gaza Strip for the passage of goods, after officials cited by Hebrew media said that, amid pressure from the US, the border crossing would open for goods next week.

But following the reports, Netanyahu and Katz said, “There is no directive to open the Erez Crossing for goods.”

“Israel’s policy in Gaza is clear and has not changed: There will be no reconstruction before the Hamas terror organization is disarmed and the Gaza Strip is fully demilitarized,” they added.

A senior Israeli official cited by Channel 12 said the statement came after Netanyahu and Katz learned from the media that the issue of reopening the Erez Crossing had come up in an assessment held earlier Thursday by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

The official said the move was opposed by the heads of both military intelligence and COGAT, the Defense Ministry body that oversees aid deliveries to Gaza.

A different, senior security official cited by the network said that, contrary to the statement by Netanyahu and Katz, Israel’s security establishment was nevertheless preparing to reopen the Erez Crossing in accordance with a directive from the political echelon.

Working hard to improve the humanitarian situation in #Gaza. Today, ???????? handed over a large cargo scanner to ???????? authorities at the Erez crossing. This will ensure that more aid gets into Gaza while safeguarding Israeli security. We thank all partners for their trust & cooperation. pic.twitter.com/a46myqiqcn

— Alexander Lambsdorff (@GerAmbTLV) August 21, 2026

The Kan public broadcaster noted Israel made recent steps toward reopening the Erez crossing, including Germany’s delivery on Friday of a large cargo scanner to be used at the crossing.

Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Noa Furman, had also said in prepared remarks at the Security Council on Wednesday that the crossing would reopen as an “additional entry point for goods in September, alongside the Kerem Shalom crossing” in the Strip’s south.

In her remarks at the Security Council, Furman confirmed a truck scanner donated by Germany had been installed at the Erez Crossing.

Hebrew media also reported that the National Security Council, which is overseen by the Prime Minister’s Office, green-lit preparations for reopening the crossing, with a deadline of September 1.

The reopening would reportedly apply only to the entry of goods, but not pedestrians, into Gaza. Sources cited by Ynet said the reopening would help take the strain off other aid delivery routes and entry points.

The reports did not specify when the NSC made the decision, but they said it came amid pressure from the US for progress on the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal. A security source cited by Channel 12 said the White House had already made the demand months ago.

The second phase of Trump’s plan would see Hamas disarm and Israel stage further withdrawals in the Strip. Israel has refused to make any withdrawals before Hamas is fully disarmed.

Israel closed the Erez Crossing, on Gaza’s northern border, after the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in the Strip.

About 120 terrorists who took part in the massacre invaded southern Israel via the border checkpoint and an adjacent military base, according to an IDF probe published in March 2025. Israeli forces stationed there were overpowered by the invaders, who killed nine soldiers and abducted three, all of whom were killed in captivity.

The Erez Crossing briefly reopened for aid deliveries in May 2024, but closed again days later and was replaced by other routes.