A small number of sick and injured Gazans have crossed into Egypt to seek medical treatment after Israel allowed a limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing in the Palestinian territory.
Egyptian officials said about 150 people were expected to leave the area on Monday and 50 would enter, more than 20 months after Israeli forces fighting in Gaza closed the border crossing.
“So far, three ambulances have arrived with a number of sick and injured people, who were immediately screened upon arrival to determine which hospital they will be transferred to,” an Egyptian health official told news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The border crossing with Egypt is Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world that does not lead to Israel, and is an important entry point for both people and goods.
The partial resumption of operations comes after Gaza’s civil defense reported dozens of deaths in a wave of Israeli attacks over the weekend, which the Israeli military said was retaliation for Hamas fighters violating the October ceasefire by abandoning a tunnel in the city of Rafah.
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the fragile US-brokered ceasefire agreement since it came into effect.
A ‘window of hope’
Mahmud, a 38-year-old leukemia patient from Gaza City, said he felt fortunate to be able to travel to Egypt for treatment after receiving permission from Israel to go with his sister.
“In Gaza there is no treatment and no life… Of course I am lucky, but I am still sad because my father and mother are still in Gaza,” he told AFP.
Ali Shaath, the head of a Palestinian technocratic committee set up to oversee the day-to-day administration of Gaza, said the reopening of Rafah offered a “window of hope” for the territory.
The partial resumption began on Sunday in a strictly limited pilot phase that did not require people to travel, and came after months of calls from aid groups.
Khaled Mogawer, governor of North Sinai – which includes the Egyptian side of Rafah – said on Egypt’s state-run AlQahera News that 50 Palestinian patients and 84 of their companions are expected to enter Egypt on Monday.
Israeli state broadcaster Kan reported that the border crossing would be open for about six hours a day, while AlQahera News said the Egyptian side would remain open “around the clock.”
‘I’m going to hug my mother’
Abdul Rahim Mohamed, 30, said he was eagerly awaiting the return to Gaza of his mother, who had gone to Egypt in March 2024 for cancer treatment.
“Two days ago she was told she could return to Gaza and told me on the phone: ‘Come and wait for me at the border crossing,’” he told AFP.
“I am very happy today… I will hug my mother,” he added.
Rafah is in an area held by Israeli forces following their withdrawal behind a so-called “Yellow Line” under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire, which has been in place since October 10.
Israeli forces still control more than half of Gaza, while the rest remains under the authority of Hamas.
Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said the opening of the border crossing “marks a concrete and positive step in the peace plan” for the area, where humanitarian conditions remain dire.
The Rafah crossing was briefly opened in early 2025 but has been largely closed since it was captured by Israeli forces in May 2024.
Steve Witkoff, the US Middle East envoy involved in the ceasefire negotiations, will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, an Israeli official said, without confirming the location or subject of the talks.
Witkoff and fellow envoy Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu in late January and are said to have pushed for the reopening of Rafah.
No auxiliary input
The director of Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, said there are 20,000 patients in the area in need of urgent treatment, including 4,500 children.
AlQahera News reported, citing the Egyptian Ministry of Health, that 150 hospitals and 300 ambulances had been prepared to receive Palestinian patients.
It said 12,000 doctors and 30 rapid deployment teams have been assigned to work with the transferees.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military unit that oversees humanitarian coordination, made no mention of allowing a long-awaited wave of aid to Gaza.
Israel had previously linked the reopening of Rafah to the return of the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage held in the area. His body was restored and buried last week, prompting Israel to announce its phased reopening.
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