TEL AVIV, February 2. /TASS/. The Rafah crossing on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has resumed operations in a restricted mode, allowing movement of people only, the Kan broadcaster reported.
According to Kan, Egyptian authorities will daily issue a list of 50 Gazans seeking to enter the Gaza Strip, who will be allowed to do so the following day after undergoing a security check. At the same time, European representatives will issue lists of 150 Gazans who want to leave the enclave, indicating their planned destinations. The Egyptians will be free to either accept or reject these requests.
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said on February 1 that the Rafah crossing would be open for restricted movement of people in both directions from February 2. Earlier, Israel promised to open the Rafah checkpoint on February 1. It said that entry into and exit from the enclave would be allowed in coordination with Egypt after a check by Israeli security services and under the European Union’s supervision. Such a mechanism was employed when the Rafah crossing was last opened in January 2025.
Tensions flared up in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing residents of border settlements and taking more than 250 hostages. In response, Israel initiated a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to dismantle Hamas' military and political structures and free all hostages.
Israel and Hamas resumed Egypt-, Qatar-, United States-, and Turkey-mediated indirect talks on settling the situation in the Gaza Strip on October 6. On October 9, the parties to the conflict signed an agreement on the implementation of phase one of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan. The ceasefire came into effect on October 10. Under the agreement, Israeli troops withdrew to the so-called Yellow Line but retained control over more than 50% of the enclave’s territory.