Palestinians have begun to pass through the Rafah crossing point on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt after it reopened for people movement, UNN reports with reference to the BBC.
Details
The crossing has been mostly closed since May 2024, when the Gaza side was seized by Israeli forces, the publication writes.
The reopening was supposed to happen during the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began in October. But Israel blocked it until the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza was returned, which happened last week.
This will be a relief for many Palestinians who see it as a channel to the world, although there is frustration that only a small number of people and no goods will be allowed through.
According to local hospitals and the World Health Organization (WHO), about 20,000 sick and wounded Palestinians are waiting to leave Gaza for treatment.
According to Israeli reports, only 50 patients accompanied by one or two relatives will be allowed to leave daily, and 50 people who left Gaza during the war will be allowed to return.
The checkpoint will be managed by European Union officials and local Palestinian staff, while Israel will conduct remote security checks.
On Monday morning, an Israeli security official stated that the Rafah checkpoint "is now open for the movement of residents, both inbound and outbound" after the arrival of teams from the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM).
Meanwhile, Al Qahera News TV, close to Egyptian intelligence, reported that the checkpoint "received the first batch of Palestinians returning from Egypt to the Gaza Strip." The report added that this step came "within Egypt's efforts to facilitate movement through the crossing."
On Sunday, Israeli authorities stated that a trial opening of the crossing had been conducted and completed.
One Palestinian official familiar with the organization of the trial opening reported that about 30 Palestinian employees arrived on the Egyptian side of the crossing before the operational phase began.
As the publication learned, WHO will monitor the transportation of patients from the territory controlled by Hamas, delivering them by bus to the crossing through the so-called "Yellow Line" to the territory controlled by the Israeli military.
Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza states that the reopening of the Rafah crossing in both directions will be carried out according to the same mechanism that was implemented under the previous ceasefire agreement in January last year.
Before being taken over by Israel in 2024, this border crossing was the main exit point for Palestinians allowed to leave the country during the war, and a key entry point for humanitarian aid. Now, aid arriving from Egypt goes through the Israeli Kerem Shalom border crossing.
In December, the Israeli government stated that the Rafah crossing would be opened to allow Palestinians to leave Gaza. But Egypt stated that the crossing would only be opened if movement in both directions was allowed.
More than 30,000 Gaza residents have registered with the Palestinian embassy in Cairo to obtain permission to return to Gaza.