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CAIRO – Amid renewed hopes for movement, Palestinians are converging at the Gaza-Egypt border following last week’s reopening of the crossing, the first occurrence since 2024. This development is a crucial part of the U.S.-endorsed ceasefire. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to visit Washington this week, with discussions expected to center around Iran, as indicated by his office.
The Rafah Crossing has recently allowed limited passage for Palestinians in each direction, prompted by Israel’s recovery of the last remaining hostage from Gaza and diplomatic pressure from U.S. officials. Over the initial four days, only 36 Palestinians in need of medical attention were permitted entry into Egypt, accompanied by 62 companions, according to United Nations reports.
With approximately 20,000 Gazans seeking to exit for medical treatment unavailable in their conflict-ravaged region, Palestinian representatives highlight the urgency. Those who managed to cross recount experiences of prolonged waiting and accusations of mistreatment by Israeli authorities and factions like the Israeli-supported Palestinian armed group, Abu Shabab.
On Sunday morning, a contingent of Palestinian patients and the injured gathered at a Red Crescent hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza’s southern city. They were preparing to journey to the Rafah border, hoping for medical care abroad, as relayed by their families to The Associated Press.
Among those awaiting passage is Amjad Abu Jedian, a war casualty, who was scheduled to depart on the reopening day. However, just five patients were allowed through, according to his mother, Raja Abu Jedian. She recounted that her son was wounded by an Israeli sniper while constructing traditional bathrooms in the central Bureij refugee camp in July 2024.
On Saturday, his family received a call from the World Health Organization notifying them that he is included in the group that will travel on Sunday, she said.
“We want them to take care of the patients (during their evacuation),” she said. “We want the Israeli military not to burden them.”
The Israeli defense branch that oversees the operation of the crossing did not immediately confirm the opening.
A group of Palestinians also arrived Sunday morning at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing border to return to the Gaza Strip, Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News satellite television reported.
Palestinians who returned to Gaza in the first few days of the crossing’s operation described hours of delays and invasive searches by Israeli authorities and an Israeli-backed Palestinian armed group, Abu Shabab. A European Union mission and Palestinian officials run the border crossing, and Israel has its screening facility some distance away.
The crossing was reopened on Feb. 2 as part of a fragile ceasefire deal that stopped the war between Israel and Hamas. Amid confusion around the reopening, the Rafah crossing was closed Friday and Saturday.
The Rafah crossing, an essential lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza, was the only crossing not controlled by Israel prior to the war. Israel seized the Palestinian side of Rafah in May 2024, though traffic through the crossing was heavily restricted even before that.
Restrictions negotiated by Israeli, Egyptian, Palestinian and international officials meant that only 50 people would be allowed to return to Gaza each day and 50 medical patients — along with two companions for each — would be allowed to leave, but far fewer people than expected have crossed in both directions.
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Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.
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