Israel on Wednesday announced a partial opening of the major Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt as part of a ceasefire deal with the Hamas militant group, but only for Palestinians wanting to leave the territory.

“In accordance with the ceasefire agreement and a directive of the political echelon, the Rafah Crossing will open in the coming days exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt,” said the COGAT authority, which is in charge of implementing Israeli policy in the Palestinian Territories.

“The residents’ exit through the Rafah Crossing will be facilitated through coordination with Egypt, following security approval by Israel and under the supervision of the European Union mission,” it said.

COGAT noted that this was similar to a mechanism that existed in January 2025, when the border was briefly opened to allow the evacuation of injured Gazans, and then shut again.

The opening of the border to Egypt has been delayed multiple times since it was first announced following the signing of the ceasefire deal on October 10.

Since then, Palestinians have only been able to leave the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing under strict restrictions.

Israel does not want Rafah to serve as a crossing to allow humanitarian aid deliveries, which mainly arrive in Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The EU plans to contribute to monitoring operations at Rafah via its civilian Border Assistance Mission, once the crossing has opened. 

(dpa/NAN)