A construction crane enters through the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip in northeastern Egypt on February 1, 2026. Photo : AFP
Speaking to Sky News Arabia, Rashwan said Israel had wanted to reopen the crossing only to allow Palestinians to leave Gaza, a move Egypt rejected as an attempt to push forced displacement.
Cairo, together with international mediators, instead insisted that the crossing operate in both directions, in line with existing agreements.
Rashwan noted that the limited number of aid trucks entering Gaza on the first day was expected and warned that obstacles from the Israeli side were likely to continue.
He emphasized that Egypt’s approach in the negotiations combined patience with pressure, based on the understanding that fully implementing the Gaza agreement would take time.
Under normal conditions, Rashwan said, the crossing should allow urgent humanitarian and medical cases to enter Egypt and enable thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza, provided Israel does not delay procedures or create additional obstacles.
He added that Israel, as the occupying power, would check the documents of Palestinians returning to Gaza and could intentionally slow inspections to restrict movement.
Rashwan said reopening the crossing according to the 2005 agreement, in which the European Union and the Palestinian Authority are partners, showed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not impose unilateral conditions.
Responding to circulated images of white vehicles reportedly heading to Rafah, Rashwan said he had not seen them but confirmed that any such vehicles coming from the Palestinian side would belong to the European Union, not to international or United Nations forces.
He said aid deliveries were expected to rise to around 600 trucks per day once the second phase of the agreement begins, noting that aid entering Gaza in recent months has been less than 30 percent of the required levels.
The Rafah crossing began trial operations from the Palestinian side earlier on Sunday after more than a year and a half of near-total closure.
Separately, Shadi Othman, media officer at the EU office in Jerusalem, said the trial operation would allow Palestinian movement to and from Gaza, adding that the EU’s role is limited to monitoring and oversight under the 2005 agreement.
Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on 7 May 2024, closing it completely and stopping both passenger movement and aid deliveries into Gaza.
The Rafah border crossing is Gaza’s only exit not controlled by Israel and has long been central to negotiations over humanitarian access and civilian movement.
Its operation is governed by a 2005 agreement involving Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the European Union, under which EU monitors supervise procedures on the Palestinian side.
Egypt has insisted that reopening Rafah must allow movement in both directions and rejected proposals that would limit it to outbound traffic only, which Cairo says would force Palestinians to leave Gaza.
The trial reopening comes amid renewed diplomatic activity on the second phase of a plan advanced by US President Donald Trump and his administration, which envisions a transitional post-war arrangement for Gaza after a ceasefire.
The second phase focuses on stabilization measures, including expanded humanitarian access, regulated civilian movement, and the involvement of international or regional mechanisms in border management.
US officials have said progress on border crossings, particularly Rafah, is a key confidence-building measure for advancing the next stage of the plan, alongside increased aid flows and guarantees against mass displacement.
Egypt has repeatedly said it supports any framework that ensures humanitarian relief, preserves Palestinians’ presence on their land, and respects international law, while rejecting arrangements that could lead to permanent displacement or unilateral security control.
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