Israel agrees to conditional, limited reopening of Rafah crossing

Alsharq Tribune-Ahmed Essam 

Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism, the Prime Minister's Office said Sunday evening in a statement.

According to the statement, the move is part of a 20-point plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The reopening of the crossing would be conditioned on the return of all living hostages and on what the statement described as a 100 percent effort by Hamas to locate and return all deceased.

The statement said the Israel Defense Forces are currently conducting a focused operation to fully exhaust the intelligence gathered in efforts to locate and return the body of hostage Ran Gvili. Upon completion of the operation, and in accordance with understandings reached with the United States, Israel will open the Rafah crossing.

Located on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the Rafah crossing is a key passage for people and humanitarian movement into and out of Gaza. Following the latest round of conflict, the crossing has remained closed despite the implementation of a ceasefire, with Israel citing security considerations.