Israel has confirmed that the Rafah Crossing in southern Gaza will reopen on Sunday, February 1, following the IDF’s recovery of the body of Ran Gvili, the final hostage held in the Strip.
A spokesperson for Cogat, which coordinates Israeli operations in the Palestinian Territories, said: “In accordance with the ceasefire agreement and the directive of the political echelon, the Rafah Crossing will open this coming Sunday (February 1st) in both directions.”
However, they confirmed that this would apply only to the “limited movement of people” and the crossing will not be open to humanitarian aid convoys, despite widespread international calls to do so.
Israel has long insisted that the crossing has been abused by Hamas to smuggle weapons and personnel into and out of the Strip, and that aid passing through it is regularly seized by the group and sold at inflated prices to fund its terrorism.
Outlining the restrictions, the spokesperson went on: "Exit from and entry into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing will be permitted in coordination with Egypt, following prior security clearance of individuals by Israel, and under the supervision of the European Union mission, similar to the mechanism implemented in January 2025.
"The return of residents from Egypt to the Gaza Strip will be permitted, in coordination with Egypt, for residents who left Gaza during the course of the war only, and only after prior security clearance by Israel.
"In addition to initial identification and screening at the Rafah Crossing by the European Union mission, an additional screening and identification process will be conducted at a designated corridor, operated by the defence establishment in an area under IDF control.”
The IDF will reportedly monitor the crossing remotely, using facial recognition software to ensure that pedestrians passing through are on the list of approved names.
Ran, a police sergeant who was on leave for a shoulder injury at the time, died fighting terrorists on October 7, 2023.
He was identified by his fingerprint when his remains were found buried in a Gaza City cemetery on Monday.
His body has since been repatriated and given a proper Jewish burial in his hometown of Meitar, near Beersheba.
Guests at the funeral included Prime Minister Netanyahu – marking the first hostage funeral he has attended – as well as President Herzog and Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef.
Delivering a eulogy for the fallen hostage, Netanyahu said: “He refused to stand aside; he put on his uniform; he armed himself.
"He considered his injured shoulder meaningless because he believed with all his heart and strength that the security of the state rested on him and the shoulders of his comrades.
"He saved lives – many, many lives."
The prime minister also announced that the government would establish a new town, named Renanim, nearby in Ran’s memory.
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