{"id":270827,"date":"2026-02-02T21:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/270827\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T21:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:53:08","slug":"gaza-limited-rafah-crossing-reopening-sparks-hope-but-also-massive-trepidation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/270827\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza: Limited Rafah crossing reopening sparks hope \u2013 but also \u2018massive trepidation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0sole border point\u00a0with Egypt is a lifeline to\u00a0the\u00a0world\u00a0\u2013\u00a0including\u00a0for\u00a0thousands of\u00a0severely ill\u00a0or injured\u00a0Palestinians\u00a0who\u00a0require\u00a0medical treatment outside the enclave, where\u00a0last October\u2019s\u00a0fragile ceasefire\u00a0between Israel and Hamas\u00a0continues to hold.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The development comes, however, following reports of\u00a0violence over the weekend, with\u00a0the\u00a0UN voicing concern\u00a0over\u00a0the killing of civilians and\u00a0Israeli\u00a0airstrikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Competing dynamics\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we have seen so many times throughout this conflict, we\u2019re seeing really competing dynamics here: on the one hand, positive progress when it comes to the re-opening of Rafah, and yet over the past 24 hours, 30 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes during a ceasefire,\u201d Sam Rose, Acting Director of UNRWA<\/a> Affairs in Gaza,\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0the BBC on Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, international organizations that are equipped and qualified and capable of doing\u00a0work,\u00a0which is urgently needed,\u00a0are continuing to face major, major constraints.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For this reason, Palestinians in Gaza are feeling \u201cmassive trepidation \u2013 hope that people will be able to get out, but real, real fear for the future,\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UNRWA\u00a0remains\u00a0on the ground delivering life-saving\u00a0assistance\u00a0in\u00a0where \u201cfear and uncertainty persist,\u201d the agency said, noting that \u201caccess is limited, protection concerns persist, and humanitarian needs remain acute amid ongoing operational constraints.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Limited movement\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reopening\u00a0the Rafah crossing\u00a0was\u00a0an integral part\u00a0of the\u00a020-point\u00a0peace\u00a0plan put forward by US President Donald Trump\u00a0last September, with the ceasefire announced days later.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For now, Israel\u00a0will\u00a0only allow\u00a0some\u00a050 Palestinians to enter and exit\u00a0Gaza\u00a0each day\u00a0\u2013 and only on foot, international\u00a0news agencies have reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The crossing will be coordinated with Egypt and supervised by the European Union\u00a0(EU),\u00a0according to the\u00a0UN\u00a0humanitarian affairs office, OCHA<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Returns\u00a0will only be permitted for residents who left during the war and after obtaining prior authorisation from the Israeli security services, being checked by the EU at the Rafah crossing point and undergoing a second identification and control process in a designated corridor managed by the Israeli army in an area under its control.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Support for returnees\u00a0<\/p>\n

OCHA welcomed<\/a> the reopening\u00a0of the key border crossing, underscoring that\u00a0\u201ccivilians must be allowed to leave and return voluntarily and safely, as international law requires.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over\u202fthe weekend,\u00a0the UN\u00a0carried\u00a0out\u00a0an advance mission to assess road conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The UN Development Programme (UNDP<\/a>)\u00a0is\u00a0set\u00a0to provide bus transportation for returnees from the internal checkpoint to Nassar hospital in Khan Younis, where several\u00a0UN\u00a0agencies\u00a0and NGO partners\u202fhave set\u00a0up a reception area to provide\u00a0them with\u00a0support.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The reception desk is staffed by psychologists\u202fand protection specialists, while food, information materials\u202fand internet\u202fconnectivity\u00a0are available.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A child arrives at Al-Amal Hospital in his wheelchair in an attempt to get treatment.<\/p>\n

Medical evacuations\u00a0<\/p>\n

Monday also saw the World Health Organization (WHO<\/a>)\u202fsupporting\u202fmedical evacuation efforts.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some\u202fpatients and their companions were able to exit Gaza directly to Egypt,\u202fwhile others\u202ftransited\u202fthrough the\u202fIsraeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing\u00a0<\/p>\n

Israeli authorities approved the travel of only five wounded patients from a list of 27 names\u00a0submitted\u00a0to both the Egyptian and Israeli sides,\u00a0according to\u00a0Palestinian\u00a0sources.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Treatment beyond borders\u00a0<\/p>\n

Families lined up in the courtyard of Al-Amal Hospital\u00a0in the south of the\u00a0Gaza\u00a0Strip to bid farewell to\u00a0sick relatives,\u00a0and their\u00a0travel companions,\u00a0heading to Egypt\u00a0to complete their treatment.<\/p>\n

A UN News correspondent was on hand as buses began preparing to depart, carrying with them the hope that the wounded would return fully recovered.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A young boy called\u00a0Youssef\u00a0Awad,\u00a0who\u00a0uses a\u00a0wheelchair,\u00a0was optimistic\u00a0that he\u00a0would\u00a0be able to walk and play again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope to travel for treatment and return walking like other\u00a0children,\u201d\u00a0he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Expedite the process\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another\u00a0injured\u00a0child,\u00a0Ahmed Iyad Abu al-Khair, sat in\u00a0a\u00a0wheelchair beside his father, Iyad, awaiting his turn in the medical evacuation convoy heading to the Rafah crossing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ahmed\u2019s\u00a0head was covered with a white bandage, and he appeared unable to move while his father tried to comfort him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope that decision-makers and the World Health Organization will expedite the process and help us get my son Ahmed to travel to complete his treatment, as every hour he spends here affects his health.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Patients,<\/p>\n

Injured Palestinians in wheelchairs protest demanding permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.<\/p>\n

Thousands still waiting \u00a0<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0protest reflecting the extent of their despair, dozens of injured Palestinians staged a demonstration near the hospital, sitting in their wheelchairs and demanding an increase in the number of people allowed to travel daily which \u201cshould be in the hundreds\u201d instead of 50.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been waiting for the crossing to open since the beginning of the war, and like many others, we have not been lucky,\u201d said Farid al-Qassas, an injured man.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this building alone, there are about 100 patients in need of medical referrals, and the number of wounded waiting to travel reaches about 13,000 patients and injured people. We hope that everyone will hear us and save what\u00a0remains\u00a0of these patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0last medical evacuation through\u00a0the\u00a0Rafah crossing was in\u202fMay 2024.\u202f\u00a0Overall,\u00a0more than 18,500 patients in Gaza, including 4,000 children, are still waiting\u00a0to\u00a0access treatment\u00a0abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most effective\u202foption\u202fwould be to resume referrals to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,\u202fand\u202frehabilitate damaged health facilities in Gaza,\u201d OCHA said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Until\u00a0then, UN\u202fMember States\u00a0are urged\u00a0\u201cto accept more patients so that everyone receives the treatment that they need.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aid\u00a0delivery\u00a0update\u00a0<\/p>\n

The agency\u00a0also\u00a0stressed that \u201cultimately, essential humanitarian supplies must enter in sufficient quantities and with fewer restrictions\u00a0through Rafah and other crossings.\u201d\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Between\u00a023-29\u00a0January, at least 13,800 pallets of humanitarian aid managed by the UN and its partners were unloaded at crossing points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nearly 60\u00a0per cent\u00a0of these shipments\u00a0contained\u00a0food, but also\u00a0shelter\u00a0items, school supplies, health items,\u00a0fuel\u00a0and nutritional kits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since\u00a0the announcement of the ceasefire\u00a0on 10 October, at least 272,000 pallets of humanitarian goods were unloaded,\u00a0and 270,000 pallets were collected at the various crossing points.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The\u00a0sole border point\u00a0with Egypt is a lifeline to\u00a0the\u00a0world\u00a0\u2013\u00a0including\u00a0for\u00a0thousands of\u00a0severely ill\u00a0or injured\u00a0Palestinians\u00a0who\u00a0require\u00a0medical treatment outside the enclave, where\u00a0last October\u2019s\u00a0fragile ceasefire\u00a0between…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270828,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-270827","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}