Israel is blocking the opening of the Rafah border crossing and making it conditional on the return of the hostages' bodies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will remain closed until further notice.

His statement came shortly after the Palestinian embassy in Egypt announced the planned opening of the border crossing on Monday.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, reopening will only be considered once Hamas fulfills the terms of the agreement—in particular, returning the bodies of the Israeli hostages and beginning implementation of the agreed framework.

(reuters, mja)