GAZA - Israel said Monday it would only allow pedestrians to travel through the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt as part of its "limited reopening" once it has recovered the remains of the last hostage in the Palestinian territory.
Reopening Rafah, a vital entry point for aid into Gaza, forms part of a truce framework announced by US President Donald Trump in October, but the crossing has remained closed since Israeli forces took control of it during the war in the Palestinian territory.
Visiting US envoys had reportedly pressed Israeli officials to reopen the crossing during talks in Jerusalem over the weekend.
World leaders and aid agencies have repeatedly pushed for more humanitarian convoys to be able to access Gaza, which has been left devastated by more than two years of war and depends on the inflow of essential medical equipment, food and other supplies.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Monday that Israel had agreed to a reopening "for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism".
The move would depend on "the return of all living hostages and a 100 percent effort by Hamas to locate and return all deceased hostages", it said on X.
It remained unclear whether the reopening would allow medical patients to leave Gaza for treatment in Egypt or other countries.
The Israeli military said it was searching a cemetery in the Gaza Strip on Sunday for the remains of the last hostage, Ran Gvili.
Netanyahu's office said:
Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed upon with the US, Israel will open the Rafah Crossing.
The announcement came after Gaza's newly appointed administrator, Ali Shaath, said the crossing would open "in both directions" this week.
"For Palestinians in Gaza, Rafah is more than a gate, it is a lifeline and a symbol of opportunity," Shaath said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.
Israeli media had also reported that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had urged Netanyahu to reopen Rafah during their Jerusalem talks.
Before the war erupted in October 2023, Rafah had been the only gateway connecting Gazans to the outside world and enabling international humanitarian aid to enter the territory, home to 2.2 million people living under Israeli blockade.