For the first time in almost a year, the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt reopened Sunday morning for a trial run to “assess the operation of the crossing,” a statement from the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said.

Limited, closely monitored movement of people only, coordinated with Egypt and subject to Israeli security approval, was set to begin. However, COGAT issued an update early Sunday afternoon saying that the movement of people has been pushed off until Monday.

The reopening follows heavy U.S. pressure to advance to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, following the return of the remains of the last Israeli hostage, Ran Gwili, H’yd.

Talks are ongoing between mediators and Israeli security officials regarding final protocols for managing the crossing. Initial plans allow roughly 150 Gazans to exit the Strip daily and about 50 to re-enter.

All crossings will occur in coordination with Egypt, following prior Israeli security clearance and under the supervision of a European Union delegation—similar to the mechanism used in January 2025.

Palestinians returning from Egypt will be allowed back into Gaza only if they left during the war and have been pre-cleared by Israeli security authorities. After an initial screening by EU officials at Rafah, an additional inspection will be conducted at a checkpoint under IDF control.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the move, saying, “Smotrich and Ben Gvir, as usual, folded. Rafah reopened this morning in both directions—with Palestinian Authority representatives present and no IDF forces on site.”

Israeli officials emphasized that the reopening is being carried out in a “limited and tightly controlled framework,” with rigorous security and monitoring mechanisms in place.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)