Israel opens Rafah crossing after a year, but travel to Gaza remains restricted

On Sunday, Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, restoring the only realistic route for people to travel to and from Palestinian territory after almost a year. According to the Israeli agency COGAT, only those residents of Gaza who left during the war will be allowed to return, and only after security checks by Israel.

It is not yet clear how many people will be able to cross the border each day, but sources say approximately 150 people per day.

The opening of the crossing is part of the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to stop the fighting between Israel and Hamas and followed the return of the body of the last Israeli hostage from Gaza.

However, the crossing will be used exclusively for the movement of people, not humanitarian aid, even though Gaza remains severely devastated.

Humanitarian organizations point out that the population is still living in ruins without basic services and are calling on Israel to ease restrictions on key materials needed to rebuild infrastructure.

(reuters, mja)