On Sunday, Israel and Egypt carried out a trial reopening of the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the entity overseeing humanitarian and civil efforts in Gaza, stated that the crossing will open to the public starting Monday morning, though only with limited capacity, allowing around 150 people to cross each day.
Individuals heading to the crossing will be transported by buses and brought in organized groups, with each person undergoing clearance by Israeli intelligence.
Israeli forces will provide security for the crossings in coordination with Egypt and under the supervision of the European Union mission.
Return to Gaza for residents from Egypt will only be permitted for those who left Gaza during the war, and only after prior security approval from Israel.
“The Rafah Crossing has reopened solely for the movement of people. A pilot operation is underway today to test and assess the crossing’s functionality,” COGAT said in a statement.
“The movement of residents in both directions—entering and exiting Gaza—is expected to start tomorrow,” the statement continued.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office announced last week that Israel had agreed to the “limited reopening” of the crossing under President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
“As part of President Trump’s 20-point plan, Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism,” the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel wrote.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the reopening was conditional on the return of all living hostages and what it termed a “100 percent effort” by Hamas to locate and return the remains of all deceased hostages.
The , Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, were found by Israel and returned last week.
‘ Greg Norman contributed to this report.