Jerusalem, 3 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel will reopen the Rafah Crossing in the coming days to allow residents of the Gaza Strip to exit into Egypt, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced Wednesday.
“In accordance with the ceasefire agreement and the directives of the political echelon, the Rafah Crossing will open exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt,” COGAT stated. The coordinator emphasized that the departure process will occur in coordination with Egyptian authorities, subject to Israeli security approval, and supervised by a European Union delegation. “This will follow a mechanism similar to the one implemented in January 2025,” the statement added.
The limited reopening is part of the broader 20-point ceasefire plan agreed under U.S. auspices. The plan envisions that the Rafah Crossing could eventually operate in both directions, though that step has not yet been authorized.
Daily quotas for departures will be set in coordination with Egypt in the coming days, marking a cautious but significant step toward implementing the ceasefire agreement while maintaining security oversight.
The Rafah Crossing is the only direct passage between Egypt and Gaza. Since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power in 2013, Rafah has only opened sporadically. Egyptian trucks delivering goods to the Strip pass through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, which is operated by Israel.
Meanwhile, Hamas announced it will transfer to Israel the body of what it says is a deceased hostage found in the northern Gaza area of Beit Lahiya. The group said the transfer will take place at 5:00 p.m.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that testing at the National Center for Forensic Medicine determined that partial remains found in Gaza were not linked to any hostages.
“The effort to bring them home will not stop until the mission is complete and they receive a proper burial in their homeland,” the statement said.
Around 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The bodies of Israeli Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili and Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak remain in Gaza.
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