Israel has allowed the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s important border with Egypt, to partially reopen on February 2, 2026, after being closed for almost two years since May 2024. This change lets a small number of people walk through, with about 50 Palestinians allowed to leave each day at first. The European Union is in charge of this under a ceasefire that the U.S. helped set up in mid-October 2025.
The reopening is part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that U.S. President Donald Trump helped to broker. It includes exchanging hostages, sending more aid, and pulling back some Israeli troops. Israeli troops took over the crossing in 2024, and it had mostly been closed, making it very hard for civilians and medical evacuations to get out of the conflict zone.
There was a trial run on Sunday, and full limited operations started on Monday. To enter and leave, both Israeli security and Egyptian coordination were needed. At first, humanitarian aid and commercial goods are still not allowed. The focus is only on people while the ceasefire is still being monitored. The EU, Egypt, and others were involved in the preparations, which had been going on for a long time.
