Published On 16/10/2025
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Last update: 11:00 (Mecca time)
There were conflicting reports regarding the reopening of the Rafah land crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, as Israeli sources said that preparations are underway to open the crossing, without specifying a date for that. Israeli radio said that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu linked the opening of the crossing to receiving more bodies of Israeli prisoners in Gaza.
In light of international calls to quickly open the crossings, Israeli sources said that preparations are underway to open the Rafah crossing, but there is no specific date for that.
For its part, Israeli Radio said that the government decided not to open the Rafah crossing until the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) intensified the return of the bodies of Israeli prisoners.
Reuters had quoted two sources as saying that the Rafah crossing is expected to reopen on Thursday. With the return of a subordinate observation mission for the European Union crossing. The two sources did not specify the restrictions that may apply to those wishing to travel.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, the Director General of the Government Information Office in Gaza, Ismail Al-Thawabta, called on the occupation authorities to open the crossings and bring in aid immediately, calling on the US administration to pressure to open the crossings.
He stressed that priority in travel when the Rafah crossing is opened will be for the sick and wounded, noting that the authorities in Gaza have not seen any progress in the entry of aid into the besieged Strip.
Meanwhile, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, criticized Israel and said that withholding aid from civilians cannot be a bargaining chip.
This came after Tom Fletcher, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), urged the opening of all crossings “immediately” to bring aid into the besieged and destroyed Gaza Strip.
Today, Thursday, Fletcher heads to the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side of the border with the Gaza Strip, which has been closed for several months as a result of the Israeli siege.
Last Monday, the leaders of the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey signed in Sharm El-Sheikh the document of guarantees for the Gaza agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel, while emphasizing the commitment to “a future of lasting peace.”
Fletcher said, “The test of this agreement is not through pictures, press conferences, and interviews… The test is to feed our children, to provide anesthesia in hospitals for people receiving treatment, and to set up tents over people’s heads.”
“We want all crossings to be open and fully accessible. We must be able to deliver aid on a large scale,” he said.
Meanwhile, CNN reported on a program World Food It was only allowed Less than a third of the aid trucks agreed to enter Gaza.
The program explained that Israel pledged to allow 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza per day, but this was not implemented, and less than 200 trucks per day were recorded entering the Strip during the past four days.