Activity picked up at Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Sunday, February 1, 2026, after Israel said the crossing had opened on a trial basis and that limited passenger travel would begin Monday as preparations are completed. The step is tied to the next stage of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire that began in October 2025.
The Rafah crossing, long regarded by many Palestinians as Gaza’s main route to the outside world, saw renewed movement on Sunday, February 1, 2026, as Israel said it had opened the crossing on a trial basis and was preparing it for a limited resumption of passenger travel.
COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry agency that coordinates civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement that the crossing was being readied for fuller operation and that Gaza residents would begin passing through once preparations were complete.
An Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, said Palestinian security officers passed through the Egyptian gate toward the Palestinian side to join a European Union mission tasked with supervising entry and exit. The official added that ambulances also crossed through the Egyptian gate.
The head of a new Palestinian administrative committee set up to handle Gaza’s day-to-day affairs said travel would start in both directions on Monday.
Rafah has been largely shut since Israeli forces seized control of the border area in May 2024, restricting movement for most civilians. Under the planned initial arrangements, only a limited number of people will be allowed to cross each day. The Associated Press reported that Israel would allow about 50 medical patients daily to leave, each accompanied by relatives, as well as about 50 people per day to return.
Israel and Egypt are expected to screen travelers, with EU personnel overseeing the process. The reopening is limited to passenger movement, while the movement of goods remains constrained.
The crossing preparations come amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2025, more than two years after the war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Reporting on the ceasefire’s next steps has described plans that include further Israeli withdrawals, an international security component, and a new governing arrangement for Gaza alongside reconstruction efforts.
Zaher al-Wahidi, an official with Gaza’s Health Ministry, said in comments reported by AP that the ministry had not yet received formal notification on the start of medical evacuations.
Before the war, Rafah served as the principal route for people leaving and entering Gaza via Egypt. Israeli forces continue to hold positions in parts of the Rafah area, and the reopening plan relies on layered screening and international supervision.
