JERUSALEM — Israel said it will allow a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt after the military completes an operation to recover the remains of the last Israeli hostage still unreturned. The pledge is meant to remove a key stumbling block to the second phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan that calls for deeper Israeli troop pullbacks and a new interim administration in Gaza, Jan. 26, 2026.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said late Sunday that “Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing for pedestrian passage only,” once the search for Israeli police officer Master Sgt. Ran Gvili is completed, according to Reuters. The statement said the crossing would operate under a full Israeli inspection mechanism and reiterated Israel’s demand that Hamas make a “100% effort” to locate and return the bodies of deceased hostages.
The Israeli military said it had launched a targeted operation in northern Gaza based on several intelligence leads. An AP report said troops were searching a cemetery near the Israeli-controlled “Yellow Line” and parts of Gaza City, with rabbis and dental experts assisting identification. Gvili’s family has urged Netanyahu’s government not to move into the ceasefire’s next phase until his remains are returned.
Rafah crossing reopening hinges on final hostage recovery
Washington has said President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework has entered phase two, under which Israel is expected to withdraw further from Gaza and Hamas is due to yield control of the territory’s administration. The Rafah crossing is the most visible symbol of that shift because it is effectively the sole route in or out for most of Gaza’s residents.
The fate of the Rafah crossing has become a political test for the deal’s sponsors and critics. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner met Netanyahu and pressed for progress, while Egypt pushed for a reopening in both directions and discussed an international monitoring force, according to AP.
Ali Shaath, a U.S.-backed Palestinian technocrat picked to help temporarily administer Gaza, said the Rafah crossing would open “next week in both directions,” calling it “a lifeline,” in remarks carried by Reuters from Davos. Israeli officials have not publicly committed to that timeline, and Netanyahu’s office tied the opening to the conclusion of the current recovery mission.
Behind the scenes, Israeli officials have also signaled the reopening will come with tighter controls. Three people briefed on planning told Reuters that Israel aims to screen who enters and leaves and to ensure more Palestinians are allowed out of Gaza than back in — a formulation Palestinians say could feed fears that temporary departures become permanent. Israeli officials have emphasized that the initial reopening would focus on pedestrian travel, while humanitarian cargo would continue to be routed mainly through other crossings after security checks.
Remembering how the crossing became a flashpoint
The Rafah crossing’s Gaza-side terminal has been under Israeli military control since May 2024, when Israel said it took operational control during fighting around Rafah, cutting a major conduit for aid deliveries and medical evacuations, Reuters reported at the time.
Even after an October 2025 ceasefire, the border gate remained a recurring pressure point. In mid-October, Israel warned it could keep the Rafah crossing shut and curb aid if Hamas returned hostage remains too slowly, before preparations to open resumed, according to another Reuters report.
For Gaza’s more than 2 million residents, any reopening of the Rafah crossing would offer a rare outlet for travel and medical transfers after months of isolation, though the scope of inspections and who is allowed to cross will determine whether the gate becomes a real lifeline or another bottleneck. Israel has not said how long the current search will take, leaving the next steps in the ceasefire — and the crossing’s reopening — hanging on what search teams find.
