Gaza's Rafah Border Crossing reopened to pedestrian traffic on Sunday morning, for the first time since the October 7 massacre, under the supervision of representatives from Egypt, the European Union, and the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
Although the lists of civilians crossing have already been approved by Israel, only a handful of crossings are expected on Sunday, according to Walla, allowing operators to rehearse procedures and ensure that all identification screening systems are functioning properly.
Israel agreed to a limited reopening of the crossing under a full Israeli monitoring mechanism last week, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Also last week, The Jerusalem Post, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported that discussions on disarming Hamas are expected to begin after the crossing reopens.
According to the sources, a Palestinian technocratic administration in Gaza is slated to lead negotiations with Hamas regarding disarmament. “The idea is that Palestinians will negotiate with Palestinians,” one of the sources said.
The crossing will be run by Palestinian personnel who are not affiliated with the Palestinian Authority and do not wear PA uniforms, alongside European Union observers from the EUBAM mission.
Rafah crossing reopening aligned with US-backed Gaza peace deal
The move, aligned with US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, was contingent on Hamas returning all hostages, living and deceased, and on what the PMO described as a “100% effort” by Hamas to locate and return the remains of all deceased hostages.
MK Yulia Mallinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu) slammed the crossing's reopening in a Sunday post to X/Twitter.
"Today is Netanyahu's day of absolute victory, today the Rafah crossing will open for the benefit of his friends, the Hamas terrorists," she wrote, noting that since April, the government has also greatly expanded operations at the Kerem Shalom Crossing to "monstrous dimensions."
Several senior ministers opposed the move during the cabinet discussion, arguing it conflicts with wartime objectives, foremost the destruction of Hamas, and could shape future sovereignty arrangements in Gaza.
The statement and political reactions came before Israel confirmed the identification of St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili's remains on Monday.
Anna Barsky contributed to this report.