The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen on Monday for people to return to Gaza, the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt said Saturday, but the only field in the country to the outside world will remain closed to people trying to leave.
But the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement within minutes, saying that the Rafah crossing will not be reopened “until it is recognized how Hamas fulfills its role in returning all the bodies of the dead hostages.”
Israel’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that the crossing could be reopened on Sunday – another step in the loosening mechanism.
Rafah’s crossing is the only one that is not controlled by Israel before the war. It has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza Strip.
The reopened crossing would make it easier for Gazans to seek medical treatment, travel or visit family in Egypt, home to tens of thousands of Palestinians. It is not clear who will run the heavily damaged Gaza side when the war ends.
Israel is blocking aid to Gaza, saying that Hamas has not lived up to the ceasefire because the bodies of some of the hostages remain in Gaza. Hamas says it needs help to get the bodies out from under the rubble, while the groups say that even under a ceasefire, not enough critical materials are reaching Gaza City.
At that time, the ruins of Gaza were arranged by the dead, more than a week in Resemfire. The new bodies found brought the Palestinian toll above 68,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Thousands of people are still missing, according to the Red Cross.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, does not distinguish between civilians and refugees in its calculations.
But the ministry maintains visible physical records that appear to rely mostly on affiliated organizations and independent scholars. Israel has opposed them without providing much of them.
Hamas-led fighting killed about 1,200 people and captured 251, according to Israeli sources, when an attack on southern Israel sparked the war on Oct. 7, 2023.
Kidnappers’ Corpses
Israel on Saturday said the remains of 10 Hamas officials were transferred the day before the previous day and were identified as Eliyahu Margalit.
The handover of 28 hostages ‘corpse’ is among the main points – along with the delivery of aid to Gaza and the distribution of the destroyed field – in the cease-fire process that meant the end of two years of war.
76-year-old Margalit was kidnapped from Kibbutz NIR OZ during the Oct. 7. His dead bodies were found after fortune tellers dug holes south of the city of Khan younis.
It was a sombre day in Israel as more funerals took place for other hostages who were returned to Gaza earlier this week. Israel wants Hamas to return the bodies of the 19 hostages, and Hamas says it needs heavy equipment to reach them. In total, the bodies of nine hostages were returned.
US President Donald Trump has warned that he will light up the war against Israel, if Hamas does not return the remains of all the dead bodies.
Hamas said it was grateful for the cease-fire agreement, but the recovery of the remains is hampered by the destruction and the presence of unplaced ordnance. The group told the nurses that some are still in areas controlled by Israeli forces.
In a statement, the administrative forum supporting the families of those abducted said it will continue to hold weekly gatherings until all are returned.
As part of the cease-fire agreement, Israel on Saturday returned the bodies of more Palestinians to Gaza. Gaza’s health service said the International Committee of the Red Cross transferred it to Nasser Hospital, bringing all of Israel back to 135.
Hamas accuses Israel of breaking the law
Hama also accused Israel of continuing the attack and violating the cease-and-desist order, asserting that 38 Palestinians have been killed since it began. There was no immediate response from Israel, which retains control of nearly half of Gaza.
On Friday, the government defense of Gaza, the first responders working under the Hamas-Run Inter Ministy, said nine people, including women and children, when their car was hit by Israeli fire in Gaza City. The Civil Defense said the vehicle crashed in the Israeli-controlled area east of Gaza.
Civil defense meant that Israel could warn people in a way that was not lethal. The group found the bodies on Saturday through the UN, it said.
The Israeli army said it saw a “suspicious vehicle” crossing the so-called yellow line and approaching troops. It means that a gun was fired, but the car continued to approach in the direction of the “imminent threat.” The army said it acted in accordance with the cessation of fire.
Requests for help
Hamas has called on mediators to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza for its two million people, rejecting the full opening of the Rafah border crossing and starting the reconstruction of the battered territory.
There are ongoing closures of Israeli border crossings and their groups. UN data on Friday showed 339 trucks have been loaded for distribution in Gaza since the end began. Under the agreement, about 600 aid trucks per day should be allowed to enter.
Cogat, the Israeli Defense Body Overseeing Aid in Gaza, reported 950 trucks – including commercial trucks and conflict deliveries – crossing on Thursday and 716 on Wednesday, the UN said on Wednesday, the UN said.
Palestinians are fighting for aid in Gaza even after the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect. CBC’s Briar Stewart explains why relief trucks are still stuck at EndulAve’s borders.
Throughout the war, Israel limited aid to Gaza, sometimes completely rehabilitating it.
International food security experts are declaring famine in Gaza City, and the UN says it has confirmed more than 400 people have died from causes related to malnutrition, including more than 100 children.
Israel has long claimed that it allows enough food and has accused Hamas of stealing it. The UN and other aid agencies deny the claim.
