Reopening the Rafah Crossing: The Next Step in the Gaza Agreement

The reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt represents the next major step in the prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that went into effect on January 19 with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Israel occupied the Palestinian side of the crossing in May 2024 and since then there have been no signs of it reopening.

The terms of the latest agreement stated that “the Rafah crossing will be ready to transfer civilians and the wounded after the release of all women (civilians and female soldiers).”

He stressed that "Tel Aviv will work to prepare the crossing immediately after signing the agreement."

Under the agreement, Israeli forces will redeploy around the Rafah crossing and all sick and wounded Palestinian civilians will be allowed to cross through it.

Therefore, it is possible to expect the crossing to reopen at any moment soon, but the mechanism for reopening it remains shrouded in mystery.

There are three main factors that determine the mechanism for reopening the crossing: the European presence, which was confirmed by the concerned parties; the deployment of the Israeli army around the crossing, which is part of the current agreement; and the presence of the Palestinian Authority at the crossing, which is still unclear until now.

Hebrew media: It will open on Friday

The official Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that the Rafah crossing will be opened today, Friday, in implementation of the prisoner exchange agreement and ceasefire between Hamas and Tel Aviv.

She added: "The Rafah crossing will open for the first time on Friday, not at the beginning of the week, as was originally planned under the first phase agreement in the prisoner exchange deal."

She pointed out that she "based her information on Palestinian sources (which she did not name)."

She added that the crossing will be operated by the European Union Border Assistance Mission (the European security mission responsible for the crossing), and "also by Palestinians from Gaza who are not affiliated with Hamas, but appear to be affiliated with the Palestinian Authority."

"The Palestinians who will operate the crossing have obtained permission from Israel, according to sources in Gaza," she continued.

Egypt, Israel, Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and the European Union did not immediately comment officially on the report.

The role of the European Union

In a statement published on its website on Monday, the European Border Assistance Mission in Rafah said, "At the request of Israel and the Palestinians and with the consent of Egypt, the European Border Assistance Mission in Rafah is redeploying at the Rafah crossing in Gaza."

“In the coming days, EUBAM will deploy a dedicated team to the Rafah crossing to allow Palestinian staff to reopen it. This will allow the transfer of injured people outside Gaza for treatment. EUBAM staff will monitor the transfers,” she added.

She continued: "Under the terms agreed upon with the parties, the deployment of the European Border Assistance Team at the Rafah crossing will continue until the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. During this period, at least several hundred people are expected to leave Gaza."

Israel confirms its security control over the crossing

For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, a copy of which was received by Anadolu Agency on January 22: "Under the agreement, Israeli army forces are stationed around the crossing, and there is no passage without the supervision, control, and prior approval of the Israeli army and the General Security Service (Shabak)."

He added: "The technical management inside the crossing is carried out by non-Hamas Gaza residents, under the security of the General Security Service, who have been running the civilian services in the Strip, such as electricity, water and sewage, since the beginning of the war. Their work is supervised by the European Border Assistance Force."

He continued: "The only practical intervention of the Palestinian Authority is its stamping of passports, which according to the existing international arrangement, is the only way for Gaza residents to leave the Strip to enter or be received in other countries."

He added: "This measure is valid for the first phase of the framework and will be evaluated in the future."

The Palestinian Authority has not commented on the reported arrangements, but officials have confirmed their adherence to the 2005 agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which stipulates that the Palestinian Authority will manage the crossing with a European presence.

Today, Friday, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said: “Security measures are being prepared at the Rafah crossing.”

She added: "The Rafah crossing will be reopened in February, with Palestinians being checked by the Shin Bet security service."

"European border officers from several countries will oversee the operations. The crossing will be managed by Palestinian Authority border officers, while the Israeli army will remain stationed around the perimeter," a senior EU official (unnamed) was quoted as saying.

There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Authority on the European official's statement.

The Hebrew newspaper indicated that "upon arrival, the Palestinians will undergo security checks, including identity verification and weapons inspection, before entering Egypt."

“The EU is expected to deploy up to 100 border officers with security arrangements. Most of the people crossing will be wounded individuals, children and seriously ill patients seeking treatment abroad,” she said.

"The European Border Assistance Mission has started recruiting personnel ahead of the redeployment," she added.

Israel's occupation of the crossing - considered the Palestinians' lung to the outside world - prevented thousands of wounded people from traveling abroad to receive treatment.

On January 19, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect. Its first phase will last for 42 days, during which negotiations will begin to begin a second and then a third phase, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.

With American support, between October 7, 2023 and January 19, 2025, Israel committed genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 158,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

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