Israel's Conditional Reopening of Gaza's Rafah Crossing
Israel plans to reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, but only after a specific condition is met concerning a missing Israeli hostage.
Conditions for Reopening
- The reopening is contingent upon the completion of an operation to locate the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.
- The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, as part of US President Donald Trump’s plan, initially included reopening this border.
- Israel requires the return of all living hostages and a "100% effort" by Hamas to return bodies of deceased hostages.
Current Status
- The Israeli military has launched a "targeted operation" in northern Gaza to retrieve Ran Gvili's remains, leveraging several intelligence leads about his possible location.
- Completion of this operation will trigger the reopening of the crossing, as stated by Prime Minister Netanyahu's office.
Strategic Importance of Rafah Crossing
- Rafah Crossing is the primary exit and entry point for over 2 million residents of Gaza.
- The crossing has been under Israeli military control since 2024.
US Involvement and Future Developments
- Under Trump's 20-point plan, Israel agreed to a limited reopening of Rafah for pedestrian passage, subject to full Israeli inspections.
- The plan's second phase involves further troop withdrawals by Israel and Hamas relinquishing control of Gaza’s administration.
- Israel aims to control the number of Palestinians entering and exiting Gaza to ensure more people leave than enter.
