The Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt was partially reopened to pedestrians in both directions on Monday, the first time the key border post has been operational in over a year.

Egyptian television and Israeli security sources confirmed the border opening, which is expected to allow injured and ill Palestinians to leave Gaza, which has been devastated by two years of war following the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Palestinians who fled the war will also be able to return to whatever is left of their homes in Gaza.

"As of this time, and following the arrival of the EUBAM teams on behalf of the European Union, the Rafah crossing has now opened to the movement of residents, for both entry and exit," an Israeli official told the AFP news agency, referring to the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM).

"The opening of the Rafah crossing marks a concrete and positive step in the peace plan," said the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, adding: "The EU's civilian mission is on the ground to monitor crossing operations and support Palestinian border guards."

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that 50 people were expected to enter the Gaza Strip on Monday, while approximately 150 people, including 50 patients, would be allowed to leave the territory for Egypt.

However, Egyptian state-linked media reported that only 50 people were expected to cross in each direction in the first days of the reopening.

AP news agency reported that no-one was seen crossing in either direction in the first hour after the reopening.

The reopening of the Rafah crossing is part of a peace plan brokered by the United States, Qatar and other regional powers which has been in place since October 2025 — although both Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of breaking it.

On Satuday, Gaza hospitals said that at least 30 people had been killed, among them children, in strikes on a refugee camp and a residential building.

Why is the Rafah crossing so important?

Before the war, Rafah was Gaza's only gateway to the outside world which was not controlled by Israel.

It was a key crossing point both for people and goods, with products such as Palestinian olive oil widely sold in Egypt and throughout the Arab world.

But when Israeli troops seized it in May 2024, that gateway was closed, exacerbating the humanitarian and economic crisis in the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, ambulances could be seen queuing up on the Egyptian side preparing to receive medical evacuees, who were expected to be the first groups allowed out.

"The Rafah crossing is a lifeline," Mohammed Nassir, a Palestinian who had his leg amputated after being injured early in the war, told AFP. "I need to undergo surgery that is unavailable in Gaza but can be performed abroad."

Nassir is among tens of thousands of sick and wounded people in Gaza, but only a trickle are set to be allowed to leave each day.

An official at Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry said about 200 patients were waiting for permission to leave the territory.

How does the Rafah border crossing actually work?

The Rafah crossing may technically be partially open, but actually using it remains a multi-stage process and a bureaucratic challenge.

According to Israeli media reports, Egyptian authorities must submit a daily list of people who are to be allowed through. Entry and exit is to be supervised by the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Rafah, but only for individuals granted approval by Israeli intelligence.

Israeli military personell remain stationed on the Palestinian side of the crossing, and Israeli officials will carry out the security checks.

But actual passport stamps are issued by representatives of the Palestinian Authority. 

The crossing is only open to pedestrian traffic; aid deliveries are not yet able pass from Egypt directly into Gaza.

Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher