The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday 18 October that he had decided to keep the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt closed until further notice, despite the Palestinian embassy in Cairo’s earlier announcement that the crossing would open on Monday.

Rafah Crossing remains closed by Israel

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the opening of the crossing would be linked to ‘Hamas’s commitment to its role’ in handing over the bodies of Israeli detainees in Gaza, as well as ‘the implementation of the agreed framework,’ without providing further details. As the Canary previously reported, Hamas handing over Israeli bodies was not part of the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, Israel has so-far violated this 47 times itself.

For its part, the government media office in Gaza accused Israel of obstructing the implementation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement, continuing to close the crossings and preventing the entry of food and humanitarian aid, calling on the international guarantors of the agreement to intervene immediately to ensure that the commitments are implemented.

Adnan Abu Hasna, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), pointed out that thousands of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid are still waiting for permission to enter the Gaza Strip, saying:

There are about 6,000 trucks carrying food and basic supplies stuck at the crossings, in addition to large quantities of medicines and medical supplies waiting to be brought in to meet the emergency needs of the population.

Abu Hasna added that the delay in opening the crossings is exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the Strip and threatening the lives of thousands of civilians, especially the sick and injured who need urgent care.

The Palestinian Embassy in Cairo announced that the Rafah crossing would be opened on Monday to allow Palestinians residing in Egypt who wish to return to Gaza to register via a dedicated electronic application, and that they would be notified later of the times and places to gather to move towards the crossing.

Breaching the ceasefire

It is noteworthy that on 9 October, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s plan, and the first phase of the agreement was activated the following day. The agreement stipulates that all Gaza Strip crossings, especially Rafah, will be opened to the movement of individuals and humanitarian aid, with the participation of Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, and under US supervision.

This comes after two years of genocide waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, with US support, resulting in the martyrdom of 68,116 Palestinians, the injury of 170,200 others, and the destruction of more than 90% of the infrastructure in the Strip.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.