Occupation obstructs movement through Rafah crossing, allows only 27 Palestinians to pass

Media sources confirmed that out of 50 Palestinians who were supposed to return to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing on Monday, the occupation allowed only 12 Palestinians to enter, while 38 others did not pass the security check and will wait on the Egyptian side of the crossing overnight. The sources added that the occupation allowed only five patients, each accompanied by two relatives, to cross to the Egyptian side, bringing the total number of entrants and exits to 27 Palestinians, according to a report published by Reuters on Tuesday.

Fifty Palestinians were scheduled to enter the Strip, and an equal number to exit, with many seeking to leave, including hospital patients, awaiting specialized medical care outside Gaza.

Palestinian officials stressed that the prevention of entry and exit of Gazans through the crossing, which reopened yesterday, was due to the alleged security measures of the occupation, at a time when nearly 20,000 Gaza residents hope to leave the Strip for treatment.

The occupation took control of the border crossing in May 2024, and since then it has remained largely closed except for a brief period during the previous ceasefire in early 2025. The reopening of the crossing was one of the requirements of the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan, who announced in January that the second phase of negotiations on the future of Gaza would begin.

Despite the reopening, occupation raids on the north and south of the Strip yesterday resulted in the death of at least four martyrs, including a child. The occupation also continues to refuse to allow foreign journalists to enter, who have been banned since the beginning of the war, which caused widespread destruction and killed hundreds of local journalists.

Sources reported that Palestinians need security approval from the occupation to cross, as concrete barriers and barbed wire have been placed throughout the crossing. They must pass through three gates, one of which is managed by the Palestinian Authority under the supervision of a European Union team, but the occupation controls it remotely. The residents of the Strip now live in a narrow coastal strip, after the occupation took control of more than 53% of Gaza's territory and demolished buildings, forcing people to live in temporary tents.

Palestinian officials stressed that the prevention of entry and exit of Gazans through the reopened crossing was due to the alleged security measures of the occupation, at a time when nearly 20,000 Gaza residents hope to leave the Strip for treatment.