Israel talks about preparations to open the Rafah crossing without specifying a date.

Israel announced on Thursday that preparations are underway to reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt for the movement of people, with "full coordination" between Tel Aviv and Cairo, without specifying a date for that.

The crossing was scheduled to reopen yesterday, Wednesday, according to a first phase of an agreement between Hamas and Israel that came into effect last Friday afternoon.

The office of the Coordinator of Israeli Activities in the Palestinian Territories stated in a statement: "Preparations are being made to open the Rafah crossing for the movement of people, in full coordination between Israel and Egypt."

It added: "A date for the opening of the crossing for the movement of people only will be announced later, after the Israeli side, in cooperation with the Egyptian side, completes the necessary preparations."

The office of the Coordinator of Israeli Activities in the Palestinian Territories emphasized that "humanitarian aid will not pass through the Rafah crossing, which has not been agreed upon at any stage."

Meanwhile, "the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip continues through the Kerem Shalom crossing and other crossings, after Israeli security inspections."

Since May 2024, Israel has occupied the Palestinian side of the crossing, destroying and burning its buildings, and preventing Palestinians from traveling, which has plunged them, especially patients, into a major humanitarian crisis.

According to Hebrew media, Tel Aviv refuses to reopen the crossing due to not having received the remaining bodies of Israeli prisoners from Hamas yet.

Since Monday, Hamas has released twenty living Israeli prisoners and handed over the bodies of ten, stating that it needs special equipment to search for and extract the remaining eighteen bodies.

In return, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,718 others it arrested from the Gaza Strip after October 8, 2023, while more than 10,000 Palestinians remain in its prisons.

The agreement between Hamas and Israel is based on a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose country has supported the Israeli genocide against the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023.

During the genocide, Israel killed 67,938 Palestinians and injured 170,169 others, most of whom were children and women, causing a famine that claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.