Palestinians have begun passing through the Rafah border crossing linking the Gaza Strip and Egypt following its reopening for passenger movement.
The crossing had been mostly shut since May 2024, after Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side.
The long-awaited reopening forms a central element of the first phase of a ceasefire framework proposed by US President Donald Trump between Israel and Hamas, which took effect in October.
Under the arrangement, only a limited number of people, several dozen each day, will be permitted to cross in either direction. The passage of humanitarian assistance and commercial goods through the crossing remains prohibited.
About 20,000 Palestinians who are sick or wounded are awaiting permission to leave Gaza to receive medical treatment abroad.
According to Israeli media reports, only 50 patients will be allowed to exit the territory each day, accompanied by two relatives each. In addition, just 50 of the tens of thousands of Palestinians who left Gaza during the war will be permitted to return daily.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to supervise the evacuation process. Patients will be transported by bus from areas under Hamas control, passing through zones controlled by the Israeli military before reaching the Rafah crossing, BBC News reported.
Read More: Israel to reopen Gaza–Egypt crossing after extended shutdown
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that anyone crossing the Yellow Line, the boundary of Israeli-controlled territory under the ceasefire agreement, would be “met with fire”.
Under the arrangements, the Rafah crossing will be operated by European Union monitors alongside local Palestinian staff, while Israel will conduct security checks remotely. Israeli officials said a trial reopening of the crossing was successfully completed on Sunday.
A Palestinian official familiar with the trial phase told the BBC that around 30 Palestinian staff members had reached the Egyptian side of the crossing ahead of full operations.
The reopening follows provisions in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which states that the crossing will operate under mechanisms used during a previous ceasefire last January.
Before Israel seized control of Rafah in 2024, the crossing served as Gaza’s primary exit route and a key channel for humanitarian aid.
With inputs from BBC