Israel Opens Rafah Exit for Palestinians Despite Dispute Over Missing Hostage Remains

Israel announced on Wednesday that it will reopen the Rafah border crossing in the coming days to allow Palestinians to exit Gaza into Egypt, fulfilling a key provision of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement with Hamas despite ongoing disputes over the remains of two hostages. The move, coordinated with Egypt and supervised by the European Union's Border Assistance Mission, marks a significant step toward easing humanitarian access amid the fragile truce that took effect on October 10, 2025. COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing aid to Gaza, stated that exits will require Israeli security approval, though an anonymous official indicated that all wishing to leave could do so provided Egypt consents, with no provisions for returns to Gaza at this stage.

The decision comes amid heightened tensions as forensic tests confirmed that partial remains returned by Hamas on Tuesday do not match those of the two missing hostages: Israeli police officer Ran Gvili and Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak. Gvili was killed during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack after aiding evacuations at the Nova music festival, while Rinthalak was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri, one of the hardest-hit sites where 31 Thais were taken captive—the largest foreign group. Hamas has released 20 living hostages and 26 bodies since the ceasefire began, but the unresolved case threatens to stall Phase One, which requires full hostage returns before advancing to broader demilitarization and governance reforms.

Saraya al-Quds, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, reported renewed searches in northern Gaza's rubble-strewn ruins, accompanied by Red Cross workers, to locate the remains. Hamas has yet to comment on the DNA mismatch, but both sides have repeatedly accused each other of ceasefire violations, including delayed body handovers and staged discoveries. The World Health Organization estimates over 16,500 sick and wounded Gazans need urgent medical evacuation, underscoring the urgency of reopening Rafah—the strip's primary non-Israeli gateway—which was sealed in May 2024 during Israel's invasion and briefly operational in February 2025 under a prior truce.

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The Rafah announcement signals Israel's intent to proceed with select ceasefire elements, including the 20-point plan's call for an international stabilization force, a technocratic Palestinian government, and Hamas disarmament. However, implementation faces logistical hurdles: the EU mission, dormant since 2007 after Hamas's Gaza takeover, requires adjustments for full resumption. Humanitarian groups have welcomed the step but noted aid inflows remain insufficient to address Gaza's crisis, exacerbated by recent flooding in tent camps.

In a separate development, a 46-year-old Palestinian man was killed by Israeli fire in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood—a designated "safe zone" under ceasefire terms—bringing post-truce Palestinian deaths to over 360, per the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The ministry reports a total war toll exceeding 70,100, with roughly half women and children, though it does not differentiate combatants. Israel has not commented on the incident, amid ongoing low-level clashes.

As Phase One hangs in balance, the Rafah reopening could provide immediate relief for thousands while testing the truce's durability. With Netanyahu appointing an envoy for preliminary economic talks with Lebanon—aiming to build post-2024 war ties—the broader regional dynamics underscore fragile progress toward de-escalation in a conflict that has reshaped the Middle East.

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