Israel agrees to open Gaza’s Rafah crossing per ceasefire terms, incl. for 50 wounded Hamas terrorists per day

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt is set to reopen in a limited way on Friday, as part of the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli media reported.

According to the terms, Israel would approve the opening of the crossing once Hamas released the living female soldiers and civilians who it held hostage.

On Thursday, the terrorists released the last remaining soldier Agam Berger, and the civilian Arbel Yehud. However, the fate of the civilians Shiri Bibas and her two young children remains unclear, with Israel so far unsuccessfully demanding information about their condition from Hamas.

According to several media reports, the Rafah crossing will be opened for pedestrians within 24 hours.

Every day, 200 people, including 50 wounded Hamas terrorists, 50 civilians and 100 additional people will be allowed to leave Gaza. This arrangement will continue for 28 days, allowing 5,600 people to leave the enclave during the first phase of the ceasefire.

According to Kan News, the wounded Hamas members will be allowed to safely return after their treatment.

The crossing will reportedly be controlled by the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM), as well as Egyptian and Palestinian representatives, who were vetted by Israel.

The Palestinians will be required not to have been affiliated with Hamas. According to Walla News, they will include officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA) who worked at the crossing prior to Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007.

Kan News cited Gazan sources saying that the Palestinian border officials are merely “connected” to the PA and were approved by Israel.

Just last week, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) denied reports that the PA would be tasked with running the Rafah border crossing. At the time, the PMO stressed that “IDF forces are positioned around the crossing and there is no passage without the supervision, oversight and advance approval of the IDF and the Shin Bet.”

“The technical management inside the crossing is being carried out by Gazans not affiliated with Hamas, with security by the Shin Bet, who have been managing civilian services in the Strip, such as electricity, water and sewage, since the start of the war. Their work is supervised by the international EUBAM force.”

IDF sources told Walla News that the new arrangement is similar to the way the crossing was managed before 2007 and warned: “Hamas took over matters very quickly.”

“This is the method that led to Hamas's strengthening in the Gaza Strip,” the sources said.

The European Union’s head diplomat Kaja Kallas confirmed that EUBAM had deployed to the border crossing “at the request of the Palestinians and the Israelis.”

“It will support Palestinian border personnel and allow the transfer of individuals out of Gaza, including those who need medical care,” she wrote on 𝕏.

At the time of publication there was no official Israeli comment on the opening of the crossing, and particularly, on the involvement of the PA.