Israel to Reopen Rafah Crossing After Search for Last Hostage’s Body Concludes

Israel has announced it will reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt once its military concludes an operation aimed at retrieving the remains of the final Israeli hostage still unreturned from the territory. The crossing, captured by Israeli forces in May 2024, has remained largely closed despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that began in October and was meant to include its reopening.

The condition set by the Israeli government centres on locating the body of Master Sgt Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer killed during the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Kibbutz Alumim, whose remains were taken back into Gaza. On Sunday, the Israeli military said it had launched a new search mission in northern Gaza, acting on intelligence it has gathered over many months.

Israeli media reported that the search is focused on a cemetery in Gaza City, with military officials warning the effort could take several days. The operation includes specialised teams — rabbis, forensic search units, and dental identification experts equipped with mobile X-ray machines — who have been deployed to possible burial sites in the Shejaiya and Daraj Tuffah districts, just east of the Yellow Line, the demarcation separating territory still under Israeli control during the ceasefire.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israel had agreed to a “limited reopening” of Rafah for pedestrian passage only and subject to full Israeli inspection procedures. It emphasised that reopening would occur only after the search operation has been completed and in coordination with the United States, which is mediating alongside regional partners.

The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, said it had provided mediators with all available information regarding the possible location of Gvili’s body and confirmed Israeli forces were searching one of the indicated sites. Gvili’s family reiterated their strong opposition to reopening the crossing before his remains are brought home for burial, urging the government to prioritise his return above all else.

The developments come as US envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner met Netanyahu to discuss implementation of phase two of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Under the first phase, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, an exchange of all living and dead hostages for Palestinian prisoners, a partial Israeli withdrawal and expanded humanitarian aid deliveries.

Phase two envisions the formation of a technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, tasked with managing public services and overseeing reconstruction, alongside the full demilitarisation of the territory, including disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups.

The conflict was triggered by the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken into Gaza. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has resulted in the deaths of more than 71,650 people, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, as both sides continue negotiations under international mediation.