Palestinians wept with joy as the Rafah crossing with Egypt partially reopened, allowing a small number of people to return to war-torn Gaza.Emotional crowds gathered around a bus bringing returnees to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis late at night, filming on their phones and lifting children to the windows to greet arrivals.“We were exhausted from this humiliating journey,” said Rotana al-Riqib, a Palestinian woman in her thirties returning from Egypt. “The Israelis took us to the crossing – me, my mother and another woman from Khan Younis – and interrogated us. They don’t let us bring in anything. They confiscated everything we had, even my children’s belongings. They only left us some clothes.”The crossing, Gaza’s only exit point that does not lead to Israel, had remained largely closed since Israeli forces took control of it in May 2024 during Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Only about two dozen people crossed in both directions on the first day – far fewer than the expected 200, according to sources on both sides.“They don’t want a large number of people to return to Gaza,” al-Riqib added. “Rather, they want a large number to leave.”Egypt has consistently warned against the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza …
