Israel plans to reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing on Wednesday to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid from Egypt, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN.
KAN reported on its website that “600 trucks of humanitarian aid are set to be delivered to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday by the UN and approved international organizations, along with contributions from the private sector and donor countries,” though no sources were cited.
The UN and various aid organizations have been advocating for the reopening of this critical crossing as Gaza endures a severe humanitarian crisis after two years of conflict.
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In late August, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, a claim denied by Israel.
The broadcaster noted that the decision to reopen the Rafah crossing, made by Israel’s “political echelon,” came after Hamas handed over the remains of four more hostages late Tuesday, part of a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Friday.
As per the deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas was required to return all hostages, alive and deceased, within 72 hours of the ceasefire starting on Friday.
While the Palestinian militants did release all 20 living hostages on time, by Tuesday evening, only the remains of eight out of 28 deceased hostages had been returned to Israel.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir warned on Tuesday that aid supplies to Gaza could be halted if Hamas did not return the remains of soldiers still held there.
KAN indicated the decision to reopen Rafah followed Israel receiving information about Hamas’s plan to return four more bodies on Wednesday, although this has not yet been confirmed by Hamas.
