Israel will reopen the Rafah pedestrian crossing with Egypt only after a military operation recovers the body of the final Israeli hostage, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said. The reopening had been planned under the first phase of a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan, but Israel conditions it on the return of all living hostages and concerted efforts by Hamas to return bodies. The U.S. says the ceasefire plan has moved into a second phase that envisages further Israeli troop withdrawals and changes to Gaza's administration.
Rafah Crossing To Reopen Only After Recovery Of Last Israeli Hostage's Body, Netanyahu's Office Says
Egyptian soldiers stand guard near the Rafah Crossing at the Egypt-Gaza border, in Rafah, Egypt, July 4, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
Israel has said it will reopen the Rafah pedestrian crossing with Egypt only after a focused military operation to recover the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in Gaza is completed, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late on Sunday.
The planned opening had been part of the first phase of a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan agreed in October between Israel and Hamas. Israel, however, has tied the reopening to the return of all living hostages and to what it describes as a "100% effort" by Hamas to locate and return the bodies of deceased hostages.
Operation To Recover Master Sgt. Ran Gvili
Officials say all hostage remains have been returned except for those of police officer Master Sgt. Ran Gvili. On Sunday, the Israeli military launched a "targeted operation" in northern Gaza to retrieve his remains. An Israeli military official reported there were "several intelligence leads" about his possible location.
"The military is currently conducting a focused operation to exhaust all of the intelligence that has been gathered in the effort to locate and return the fallen hostage, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, of blessed memory," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
The statement added that once the retrieval operation is complete, "Israel will open the Rafah Crossing."
Context And Next Steps
On Thursday, Ali Shaath, head of a U.S.-backed transitional Palestinian committee intended to temporarily administer Gaza, said the Rafah Crossing would open this week. For most of Gaza's more than 2 million residents, Rafah is effectively the only practical route in or out of the territory. The Gaza side of the crossing has been under Israeli military control since 2024.
Netanyahu's office also said the reopening would be "limited" and subject to an Israeli inspection mechanism, as set out in the U.S. plan. Washington has said the plan has entered a second phase, under which Israel is expected to withdraw troops further from Gaza and Hamas is to cede administrative control of the territory.
Separately, Reuters sources reported that Israel intends to limit the number of Palestinians entering Gaza through Rafah to ensure that more people are able to leave Gaza than to enter it. The plan and conditions underscore the continuing complexity of implementing the ceasefire arrangements and managing humanitarian access to the enclave.
(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba and Hatem Maher; editing by Deepa Babington and David Gregorio)
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