Rafah crossing with Egypt to reopen Sunday, Israel says

Israel's COGAT announced the Rafah border crossing with Egypt will reopen on Sunday; return travel will be limited to Gaza residents who left during the war and will require prior Israeli security clearance.

Israel's civilian coordination agency, COGAT, announced the Rafah border crossing with Egypt will reopen on Sunday. The agency said returns from Egypt to the Gaza Strip will be allowed only for residents who left Gaza during the war and only after prior security clearance by Israel. The Rafah crossing is effectively the main route in or out of Gaza for nearly all of the territory's roughly two million people. Israel seized the crossing in May 2024 and had linked reopening to the recovery of the last Israeli hostage's body, which occurred earlier this week. Key facts: - COGAT announced the Rafah crossing will reopen on Sunday. - Return travel will be limited to Gaza residents who left during the war and will require prior Israeli security clearance. - Rafah is effectively the sole route for nearly all of Gaza's roughly two million residents. - Israel seized the crossing in May 2024 and said reopening was linked to the recovery of the last Israeli hostage's body, which was reported earlier this week. Summary: The announced reopening restores a route for some people to travel between Gaza and Egypt and changes the current travel status for residents outside Gaza. The move follows the reported recovery of the last Israeli hostage's body and is scheduled to take effect on Sunday.