ALBAWABA - Nearly nine months after taking control, Israel has pulled its troops out of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. As part of the current truce and prisoner exchange arrangement, the crossing is scheduled to reopen on Saturday, and the European Union (EU) has sent a monitoring team.
The team was sent at Israel and Palestine's request to assist Palestinian border workers and permit medical evacuations, EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas revealed on X. The first group of Palestinians, including civilians and resistance fighters, who have been wounded or unwell will go to Egypt on Saturday, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
According to Israel's Army Radio, Israeli troops left Rafah on Friday but are still stationed there. According to a senior Israeli official, operations will be supervised by EU officials, Palestinian Authority (PA) staff (not including Hamas members), and Egyptian staff. The PA's only responsibility will be to stamp travel documents.
Israel agreed to let 50 wounded Palestinians pass each day, accompanied by three family members, for a daily total of 200 individuals. A contentious clause in the agreement permits seriously injured Hamas militants to enter Egypt.
The scheduled evacuations, which are the first since Rafah's closure in May 2024, were welcomed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The reopening comes after the six-week ceasefire deal signed on January 19. The next round of negotiations will decide how the ceasefire is implemented.
