Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing wait to cross into the Gaza Strip. AFP
In a statement, the Palestinian group warned that the continued closure of the crossing, preventing the evacuation of the wounded and sick, restricting citizens’ movement, and blocking the entry of specialized equipment and teams for recovery operations, would delay the retrieval and identification of bodies buried under Gaza’s rubble.
Under the ceasefire deal proposed by President Donald Trump and brokered by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, Hamas has so far released all 20 living captives, along with the remains of nine Israelis and one Nepalese.
In return, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 135 bodies of Palestinians since the truce came into effect on 10 October.
Hamas said it required additional time and technical assistance to locate and recover the remaining bodies still trapped beneath the ruins in Gaza.
On Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said he had “directed that the Rafah crossing remain closed until further notice.”
“Its reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfills its part in returning the hostages and the bodies of the deceased and in implementing the agreed-upon framework,” the statement read, referring to the week-old ceasefire deal.
Netanyahu’s remarks came shortly after the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo announced that the crossing would reopen on Monday “to enable Palestinian citizens residing in the Arab Republic of Egypt and wishing to return to the Gaza Strip to travel.”
The continued closure could also complicate humanitarian efforts on the ground. Tom Fletcher, the United Nations (UN) head of humanitarian relief, who visited northern Gaza on Saturday, described the devastation as “a vast part of the city, just a wasteland,” calling the scene “absolutely devastating.”
He said the UN and aid agencies faced a “massive, massive job”, outlining a 60-day plan to scale up operations: “We need to surge in food, get a million meals out there a day, start to rebuild the health sector, bring in tents for the winter, and get hundreds of thousands of kids back into school.”
Meanwhile, Trump said he would consider allowing Israeli forces to resume military operations in Gaza if Hamas fails to uphold its commitments under the ceasefire.
Major obstacles remain to Trump’s broader plan to end the war, including the disarmament of Hamas, the future governance of Gaza, the formation of an international stabilization force, and the steps needed toward establishing a Palestinian state.
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