By Staff reporter
Israel says it has agreed to reopen the Gaza Strip’s key border crossing with Egypt only after an operation to retrieve the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in the territory is complete. The Rafah crossing has been mostly closed since May 2024, when the Palestinian side was seized by Israeli forces. It was meant to have reopened during the first stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began in October. Israeli media quoted military officials as saying the operation was taking place at a cemetery in Gaza City and that it could last several days. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that Israel had “agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism”.
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