Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a statement on Tuesday, January 27, that the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will be reopened in a limited manner next Sunday, for the first time since it was closed by Israel in May, 2024.

“We agreed to open the Rafah crossing back during Trump’s 20-point agreement, and by the way it is a limited opening,” Netanyahu said.

“The opening would include our security screenings. It is for people only, the numbers are limited, and anyone entering or exiting undergoes our inspection. A full inspection, just like the ones you are familiar with at our various facilities,” he added.

The announcement came a couple of days after Hamas returned the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive in the Gaza strip to the Israeli authorities.

Read more: Israel continues airstrikes on Gaza after Hamas agrees to release all Israeli captives

Trump hails the recovery of Gvili’s body, attributes the achievement to his team

US President Donald Trump celebrated the move in a post he wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday, attributing the achievement to the efforts made by his administration.

“Just recovered the last Hostage body in GAZA. Thus, got back ALL 20 of the living Hostages, and ALL of the Dead! AMAZING JOB! Most thought of it as an impossible thing to do. Congratulations to my great team of Champions!!!” Trump stated.

According to Axios, the US president also praised Hamas for its role in locating the body of Gvili, saying: “They worked very hard to get the body back. However, Trump emphasized that the movement should be disarmed “like they promised”.

The American news website also cited a senior US official, who commended the Palestinian movement on Monday for their cooperation in finding the remains of the Israeli captive.

“I will say Hamas was very cooperative in this. They fulfilled the obligation that they signed up for,” he noted.

Meanwhile, some international media outlets quoted an unnamed US official telling reporters that same day that the disarmament of the Palestinian resistance group “comes along with some sort of amnesty.”

A statement that analysts perceive as a sort of change in the Trump administration’s rhetoric towards Hamas.

The post Israel announces the limited reopening of Rafah border crossing on Sunday appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.

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