Israel is attempting to condition the reopening of the Rafah border crossing on more Palestinians exiting the Strip than returning to Gaza.
Under the peace deal Israel and Hamas signed in October, Tel Aviv agreed to reopen the Rafah border crossing. However, Israel has only allowed traffic out of Gaza into Rafah. Hamas says the peace deal, which was brokered by President Donald Trump, cannot progress to the next phase until the Rafah crossing reopens.
Israel is facing increasing pressure to reopen the crossing. The Board of Peace, a committee controlled by Trump, said on Tuesday that the cross will open at some point this week. On Friday, officials told Reuters 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.
One Israeli official stressed that the crossing will only reopen with Tel Aviv’s approval, and Israel will determine who enters and exits Gaza.
Tel Aviv’s proposal for reopening Rafah ensures the population of Gaza will continue to decline.
Israel has waged a war of annihilation against the Palestinians in Gaza over the past two years. Top Israeli officials have said the goal of the operations is to drive the Palestinians out of the Strip.
Israel continues to violate the ceasefire and kill Palestinians. On Sunday, three Palestinians were killed in Gaza. Additionally, Tel Aviv’s restrictions on aid are leading to the deaths of Palestinian children. A six-month-old died from the cold on Thursday.
