CAIRO (AP) — Israel said Wednesday that it would reopen the Rafah border crossing in the coming days, allowing Palestinians to leave Gaza. That could be a major development for residents of the devastated strip, for whom leaving has been extremely difficult — if not impossible — for most of the war.
The announcement has raised hopes that thousands of sick and wounded people in Gaza will finally be able to access the care they need. Gaza’s health system was decimated by the two-year war, rendering advanced surgical procedures out of reach.
But, there are complications. For one, Israel says Palestinians wanting to leave Gaza will have to get Israeli and Egyptian security approval. It’s unclear what criteria that will involve.
Another key dispute: Israel says that until militants in Gaza return all the hostages they took in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war, it will only allow Palestinians to exit Gaza, not enter.
Egypt, meanwhile, says it wants the crossing immediately opened in both directions, so Palestinians in Egypt can enter Gaza. That’s a position rooted in Egypt’s vehement opposition to Palestinian refugees permanently resettling in the country.
A lifeline for Gaza
Before the war, Rafah bustled with goods and people passing to and from Egypt and Gaza. Although Gaza has four other border crossings, they are shared with Israel, and only Rafah links the territory with another country.
After Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel in 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage, Egypt tightened its restrictions on traffic through the Rafah crossing. After Israel took control of the Gaza side in May 2024 as part of its …