Israel has agreed to allow some traffic through Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt, but will continue to bar journalists from entering the Strip.
“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 Israeli Prime Minister’s Office X account posted on Sunday.
The Prime Minister’s Office:
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.— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 25, 2026
On Monday, an Israeli official clarified that the reopening will not include allowing foreign journalists to access Gaza. “The entry of journalists is not an obligation of the state [of Israel],” government counsel Yonatan Nadav said.
Israel has rarely allowed journalists to access Gaza during the two-year-long onslaught. A limited number of reporters have been permitted to enter the Strip on highly controlled tours.
In addition to barring the foreign media from accessing Gaza, Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinian journalists. “Palestinian journalists have been our eyes & ears covering the atrocities of the war on Gaza & bringing a human face to describe the impact. They have worked heroically & against all odds,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X Sunday.
He added, “Together with humanitarian workers, they have paid a heavy ultimate price. More than 230 of them have been killed.”
Palestinian journalists have been our eyes & ears covering the atrocities of the war on Gaza & bringing a human face to describe the impact. They have worked heroically & against all odds.
Together with humanitarian workers they have paid a heavy ultimate price. More than 230 of…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) January 25, 2026
Officials told Reuters on Friday that Tel Aviv is pushing for only a partial reopening of the Rafah crossing to ensure more Palestinians are exiting Gaza than entering the Strip.
In October, Israel and Hamas agreed to a peace deal that included the reopening of the Rafah crossing.
