Rafah border crossing reopens for limited passenger traffic

2 February 2026

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, which has been largely closed since May 2024, has partially reopened to passenger traffic. The move was reported on Monday by the Egyptian television channel Al-Kahira News and confirmed by Israeli security services.

The reopening allows sick and wounded Palestinians to leave Gaza, while people who fled during the war can return. Access to and from the territory remains tightly controlled, however. Crossings are only permitted following strict identity checks, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

According to Al-Kahira News, an initial phase will allow 50 people per day to cross in each direction. Israeli reports, meanwhile, estimate that around 150 people per day will be able to leave Gaza, with up to 50 Palestinians returning daily.

Television footage on Monday showed ambulances carrying sick and wounded people heading towards Rafah, where Egyptian ambulances were waiting on the other side of the border. Al-Kahira News reported that 150 hospitals and 300 ambulances have been mobilised.

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20,000 sick

Medical infrastructure in Gaza remains severely limited. An estimated 20,000 sick Palestinians are in urgent need of treatment abroad, including 4,500 children. In 440 cases, the situation is described as critical and life-threatening.

The European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) to Rafah is present to monitor who enters and leaves Gaza. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas welcomed the reopening as a "concrete and positive step in the peace plan". "For the sick and wounded in Gaza, reopening the crossing is a lifeline," she wrote on X.

Last week, Belgium urged Israel to reopen the borders in both directions and to increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza. But the transport of goods through Rafah remains prohibited. As a result, humanitarian aid cannot yet enter Gaza via the crossing.

The ceasefire in Gaza also remains fragile. Israel conducted several airstrikes across the territory this weekend, killing at least 32 people. According to Reuters, US envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Israel this week, to discuss the next phases of US president Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza.