In a significant diplomatic development, Israel has consented to a conditional, limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, a crucial conduit for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The move is contingent upon the successful recovery of the remains of Ran Gvili, the final Israeli hostage held within the territory, as confirmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The announcement, made on Monday, stipulates that reopening will be exclusively for pedestrian transit and will operate under a comprehensive Israeli inspection regime. This decision follows intense diplomatic pressure from visiting U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who reportedly urged Israeli officials to reopen the crossing during weekend talks in Jerusalem.
The Rafah crossing represents an indispensable lifeline for Gaza’s approximately 2.2 million residents, who face devastation from over two years of conflict, severe shortages of medical supplies, food, and other essential provisions. Its closure since Israeli forces assumed control during the war has exacerbated a dire humanitarian crisis, drawing repeated calls from world leaders and aid agencies for increased access.
The truce framework, initially brokered by the U.S. in October and largely holding despite alleged violations, envisioned the crossing’s reopening. Hamas’s military wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, claims to have provided mediators with detailed information on the location of Gvili’s body, prompting an ongoing Israeli military search operation in a Gaza cemetery.
Gvili, a non-commissioned officer killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, is the last of the 251 hostages taken that day yet to be repatriated. His family has vehemently opposed advancing to any subsequent phase of the ceasefire agreement, which includes the Rafah reopening, before his remains are returned.
The conflict, triggered by the 2023 attack that resulted in 1,221 Israeli deaths, has seen Israeli retaliation flatten large portions of Gaza, a territory already struggling under a blockade imposed since 2007. Gaza authorities reported a death toll exceeding 70,000 by November of last year.