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The Rafah crossing on the Egypt border is set to reopen under Trump’s cease-fire deal, pending formal approval by Netanyahu’s government, with preparations on the ground indicating the move could be made soon despite no date being set, Haaretz reported.
The newspaper said Gaza residents exiting would be screened remotely, while those entering would undergo physical checks at an additional IDF-controlled post inside Gaza, and that Egypt has criticized the Israeli announcement and insists the crossing must operate in both directions.
Haaretz reported that preparations and procedures on the ground indicate that the reopening is approaching, although the outlet said no date has yet been set and the move is still pending a decision from the Israeli political level.
The newspaper said that setting a date for reopening the crossing depends on a high-level political decision, even though a preliminary decision to approve the reopening has already been made, according to security sources.
According to the newspaper, European forces will have a central role in managing the crossing during the next period.
Haaretz added that Israeli forces have reached Israel during the past period and are ready to deploy at the Rafah crossing. Israeli security forces are also preparing to facilitate entry into and exit from the Gaza Strip, the report said.
The first phase of the cease-fire agreement included a halt to the war, a partial Israeli withdrawal, the exchange of all Israeli hostages, living and deceased, in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel, and the entry of “full humanitarian aid” into Gaza.
The second phase, outlined in Trump’s 20-point peace plan, includes a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, deployment of the ISF, and the establishment of a Palestinian “technocratic” committee to temporarily govern Gaza.
Haaretz reported that, for the first time since the Israeli occupation of the Rafah crossing a year and a half ago, Palestinians will be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, not only to leave it.
Those who depart Gaza will be allowed to return, according to the newspaper, in what it described as a measure intended to ensure that Palestinians are not permanently displaced from the strip to the outside.
Haaretz said Palestinians leaving Gaza will be subjected to screening by Israeli forces through a “calculated mechanism,” meaning they will not undergo a physical inspection by the Israeli occupation forces.
By contrast, the newspaper reported that those entering Gaza from the outside will be subjected to a physical inspection by the Israeli occupation forces.
In December 2025, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, the military body that oversees the flow of aid and civilian movement, said that the Rafah crossing will be reopened in the coming days to allow Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt.
Egypt rejected the Israeli announcement, denying any agreement to open the Rafah crossing only for exits and insisting it must operate in both directions.
Despite the cease-fire, Israel continues to keep Gaza’s crossings largely closed, preventing the entry of mobile homes and reconstruction materials and worsening the humanitarian crisis affecting more than 2 million people.
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