Israel announced on Wednesday its decision to begin allowing Palestinians to leave Gaza through the reopened Rafah border crossing—a major concession under the US-backed ceasefire deal—even as a new dispute over the remains of two missing hostages threatens to stall the agreement’s initial phase.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military body facilitating aid to Gaza, stated that the crossing would be opened in coordination with Egypt and under the supervision of a European Union mission.
The move, which requires “Israeli security approval” for those wishing to exit, addresses the urgent need for medical evacuation, as the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates over 16,500 sick and wounded Palestinians require treatment outside the strip.
Missing Hostage Remains Threaten Phase One Completion
The first phase of the complex 20-point ceasefire plan is scheduled to conclude with the return of the final two deceased hostages: Israeli police officer Ran Gvili and Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak.
However, forensic testing on remains returned by Hamas on Tuesday confirmed they do not match either of the two missing individuals. This discrepancy has complicated the exchange mechanism, which involves Israel releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each hostage returned.
In a bid to resolve the impasse, Saraya al-Quds, the military arm of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said its members were re-entering northern Gaza, accompanied by Red Cross workers, to resume the search for the remains amidst the war-torn rubble. Hamas, which has already returned 20 living hostages and the remains of 26 others since the ceasefire began in early October, has not yet commented on the latest handover or the forensic findings.
Looking Ahead: Stabilisation Force and Disarmament
By moving ahead with the Rafah opening, Israel signaled its commitment to the broader ceasefire blueprint, which has already seen a reduction in fighting despite mutual accusations of violations.
The overarching deal calls for successive phases to:
- Create an international stabilisation force to secure Gaza.
- Form a technocratic Palestinian government.
- Initiate the disarming of Hamas.
Meanwhile, violence continues in the strip, with an Israeli official confirming that all Palestinians who want to exit Gaza will be able to do so through Rafah, provided Egypt agrees to receive them. The crossing, sealed since the Israeli military operation in the area in May 2024, will not, however, be open for people wishing to return to Gaza.
In a separate diplomatic move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed an envoy to begin “initial attempt to create a basis for relations and economic cooperation” with Lebanese diplomatic and economic officials, despite the two countries remaining in a state of war since 1948.