Rafah Border Remains Closed as Israel Ties Reopening to Hostages’ Bodies

Israel announced on October 18, 2025, that the vital Rafah border crossing with Egypt would remain closed "until further notice", escalating tensions in the fragile ceasefire with Hamas as the Palestinian embassy in Cairo claimed a Monday reopening for returning Gazans. The decision, conveyed through Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, hinges on Hamas fully complying with truce terms by handing over the remains of all 28 deceased hostages captured during the October 7, 2023, assault—only 10 have been returned so far, with two more pledged for that evening.

This standoff, contradicting Israel's earlier Foreign Ministry indication of a Sunday restart, underscores the ceasefire's precarious first phase, where aid flows and border access are intertwined with unresolved grief on both sides. Rafah, Gaza's sole non-Israeli-controlled gateway, has been shuttered since Israel's May 2024 seizure of its Palestinian side, trapping over 2.3 million residents and complicating medical evacuations and family reunions for the tens of thousands of Palestinians in Egypt.

The dispute amplifies humanitarian anguish, as families on both sides await closure amid accusations of delays and desecration. In Gaza, tearful relatives like Iman Sakani, whose son vanished early in the war, gathered at Nasser Hospital, pleading, "Just like they took their captives, we want our captives. Bring me my son." Israel has repatriated 135 unidentified Palestinian bodies since the truce began, labelled only by numbers, prompting Gaza's Health Ministry to post photos online for kin identification—one woman collapsed in sobs upon recognising her relative. Hamas, meanwhile, faces Israeli scrutiny for the hostage remains, with Netanyahu's office warning that partial compliance risks broader violations.

This mirrors the war's toll: Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry reported over 68,000 deaths on Saturday, including newly recovered bodies from the rubble, with thousands more missing per the Red Cross—figures deemed reliable by UN agencies despite Israel's contestation without alternative counts. The ministry doesn't differentiate civilians from fighters, but independent analyses estimate 70% non-combatants, fuelling global outcry over the 24-month conflict sparked by Hamas's attack killing 1,200 Israelis.

Aid deliveries remain woefully inadequate, exacerbating famine risks in the devastated enclave. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, touring Gaza City on October 18, decried "vast parts of the city... just a wasteland," as only 339 trucks entered since the ceasefire—far below the 600 daily mandated. Israel's COGAT reported 950 trucks Thursday, including commercial ones, but UN tallies highlight restrictions on distribution, with closures and inspections hampering groups like UNRWA. Throughout the war, Israel intermittently blocked aid, leading to a declared famine in northern Gaza and over 400 malnutrition deaths, including 100 children, verified by the UN.

Jerusalem accuses Hamas of diversion, a claim denied by aid agencies; Hamas, in turn, alleged 38 ceasefire breaches by Israel, including a Friday Gaza City incident where nine civilians died in a vehicle hit by Israeli fire. The army countered it fired warning shots at a "suspicious vehicle" breaching a "yellow line" in eastern Gaza, posing an "imminent threat", insisting on compliance with truce protocols while retaining control over half the territory.

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As Diwali illuminates India on October 20, Rafah's closure casts a long shadow over Gaza's fragile peace, with mediators Egypt, Qatar, and the US urging restraint to prevent collapse. The crossing's reopening could alleviate acute needs—over 90% of Gazans displaced and 1.9 million facing acute food insecurity, per IPC reports—but hostage repatriation remains the linchpin. Netanyahu's linkage tactic reflects domestic pressures from hostage families and coalition hardliners, while Hamas demands unhindered aid and Israeli withdrawal. International observers, including the EU, call for transparency on remains and accelerated entries, warning that delays could reignite hostilities. With Phase 1 exchanges ongoing—Israel releasing 250 Palestinian prisoners—and reconstruction talks looming, Saturday's impasse tests the accord's viability, leaving civilians in limbo amid ruins where hope flickers as dimly as unlit diyas.

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