Gaza's border crossing to Egypt reopens in a key step for truce but only few Palestinians can cross

CAIRO (AP) — Gaza’s Rafah borderline crossing with Egypt reopened connected Monday for constricted traffic, a cardinal measurement successful the Israel-Hamas ceasefire but a mostly symbolic improvement connected the crushed arsenic fewer radical volition beryllium allowed to question successful either absorption and nary goods volition walk done it.

Within the archetypal fewer hours of the opening, however, nary 1 was seen crossing successful oregon retired of Gaza. An Egyptian authoritative said 50 Palestinians were expected to transverse successful each absorption connected the archetypal time of Rafah's operation. About 20,000 Palestinian children and adults needing aesculapian attraction anticipation to permission the devastated Gaza via the crossing, according to Gaza wellness officials.

Thousands of different Palestinians extracurricular the territory anticipation to participate and instrumentality home.

State-run Egyptian media and an Israeli information authoritative besides confirmed the reopening. The officials spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to speech to the media.

Before the war, Rafah was the main crossing for radical moving successful and retired of Gaza. The territory’s fistful of different crossings are each shared with Israel. Under the presumption of the ceasefire, which went into effect successful October, Israel’s subject controls the country betwixt the Rafah crossing and the portion wherever astir Palestinians live.

Violence inactive continued crossed the coastal territory Monday, and Gaza infirmary officials said an Israeli navy vessel had fired connected a structure camp, sidesplitting a 3-year-old Palestinian boy. Israel’s subject said it was looking into the incident.

Egypt prepares to person the war-wounded

Rajaa Abu Mustafa stood Monday extracurricular a Gaza infirmary wherever her 17-year-old lad Mohamed was awaiting evacuation. He was blinded by a changeable to the oculus past twelvemonth arsenic helium joined hopeless Palestinians seeking nutrient from assistance trucks eastbound of the metropolis of Khan Younis.

“We person been waiting for the crossing to open,” she said. “Now it’s opened and the wellness ministry called and told america that we volition question to Egypt for (his) treatment.”

About 150 hospitals crossed Egypt are acceptable to person Palestinian patients evacuated from Gaza done Rafah, authorities said. Also, the Egyptian Red Crescent said it has readied “safe spaces” connected the Egyptian broadside of the crossing to enactment those evacuated from the Gaza Strip.

Israel has banned sending patients to hospitals successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank and eastbound Jerusalem since the warfare began — a determination that chopped disconnected what was antecedently the main outlet for Palestinians needing aesculapian attraction unavailable successful Gaza.

Israel has said it and Egypt volition vet radical for exit and introduction done the Rafah crossing, which volition beryllium supervised by European Union borderline patrol agents with a tiny Palestinian presence. The numbers of travelers are expected to summation implicit time, if the strategy is successful.

Fearing that Israel could usage the crossing to propulsion Palestinians retired of the enclave, Egypt has repeatedly said it indispensable beryllium unfastened for them to participate and exit Gaza. Historically, Israel and Egypt person vetted Palestinians applying to cross.

Palestinian toddler killed by Israeli fire

A 3-year-old Palestinian was killed Monday erstwhile Israel navy deed tents sheltering displaced radical connected the seashore of Gaza’s confederate metropolis of Khan Younis, Palestinian infirmary authorities said.

According to the Nasser hospital, which received the body, the onslaught happened successful Muwasi, a structure campy country connected the Gaza Strip’s coast. The lad was the latest among Palestinians successful Gaza since the October ceasefire successful Gaza.

More than 520 Palestinians were killed by Israeli occurrence since the ceasefire went into effect connected Oct. 10, according to Gaza's wellness ministry. The casualties since the ceasefire, which UNICEF said see much than 100 children, are among the implicit 71,800 Palestinians killed since the commencement of Israel’s offensive, according to ministry, which does not accidental however galore were fighters oregon civilians.

The ministry, which is portion of Gaza's Hamas-led government, keeps elaborate casualty records that are seen arsenic mostly reliable by U.N. agencies and autarkic experts.

Rafah's opening represents ceasefire progress

Israeli troops seized the Rafah crossing successful May 2024, calling it portion of efforts to combat arms-smuggling for the militant Hamas group. The crossing was concisely opened for the evacuation of aesculapian patients during a ceasefire successful aboriginal 2025.

Israel had resisted reopening the Rafah crossing, but the betterment of the remains of the past hostage successful Gaza cleared the mode to determination forward.

The reopening is seen arsenic a cardinal measurement arsenic the U.S.-brokered ceasefire statement moves into its 2nd phase. In time, Rafah is expected to ramp up operations if the ceasefire holds.

The truce halted much than 2 years of warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas that began with the Hamas-led onslaught connected confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023. Its archetypal signifier called for the speech of each hostages held successful Gaza for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel, an summation successful severely needed humanitarian assistance and a partial pullback of Israeli troops.

The 2nd signifier of the ceasefire woody is much complicated. It calls for installing the caller Palestinian committee to govern Gaza, deploying an planetary information force, disarming Hamas and taking steps to statesman rebuilding.

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Federman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Julia Frankel successful Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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Find much of AP’s sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

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This communicative has been corrected to amusement that the latest fig from Gaza's Health Ministry says 71,800 Palestinians person been killed.

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