Egypt on Wednesday denied that it reached an understanding with Israel on a deal to open Gaza’s Rafah border crossing to just allow Palestinians to exit the Strip and not return.
“If an agreement is reached to open the crossing, it will be in both directions, for entry and exit from the Gaza Strip, in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s plan,” Egypt’s State Information Service said, according to The Cradle.
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced earlier in the day that the Rafah crossing would be opened in the coming days “exclusively for the exit” of Palestinian residents of Gaza to Egypt. Under the US-backed ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to open the Rafah crossing for medical evacuations and for travel to and from Gaza.
An Israeli official speaking to The Associated Press said that all Palestinians who wanted to leave Gaza would be allowed to as long as Egypt agrees to receive them. The announcement from COGAT and comments about allowing Palestinians to leave but not return have raised concerns about Israel using the crossing to pursue ethnic cleansing.
Israeli officials told Haaretz that re-entry into Gaza could be permitted if Hamas hands over the two remaining bodies of Israeli captives that are in Gaza. Hamas handed over one body to the Red Cross on Wednesday, and once it’s received by Israel, testing will be conducted to see if it is a missing Israeli hostage.
Israel has controlled Gaza’s Rafah crossing and its border with Egypt since launching its offensive on the city in May 2024. At the time, President Biden’s White House described the attack as a “limited” operation, but today the city of Rafah lies in complete ruin.
