Israel is set to re-open the Rafah crossing into Gaza from Egypt, under the second phase of the U.S-negotiated ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The crossing has been shut since May 2024, with a few rare openings.
The re-opening comes after Israel retrieved the body of the last hostage taken by Hamas in October 2023.
It also comes after the Israeli military launched airstrikes on Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 30 people, according to local authorities.
Ceasefire
Israel and Hamas agreed to a U.S-led ceasefire plan in October. The first phase involved Hamas releasing the remaining living hostages, and Israel releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The first phase also involved Israeli Defense Force (IDF) troops withdrawing from Gaza to an “agreed upon line”.
Since then, both sides have accused each other of breaking the ceasefire repeatedly. According to data cited by the UN, Israeli forces have killed 492 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire was announced. Four IDF soldiers have been killed in Gaza in that time.
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Strikes
On Saturday (local time), the IDF carried out strikes across Gaza, killing at least 30 people, according to international media citing local authorities.
It is one of the highest single-day death tolls since the October ceasefire.
The IDF struck a tent encampment in Khan Younis and an apartment block in Gaza City, killing at least six children.
A post to the IDF’s X account said it carried out these strikes after soldiers saw “eight terrorists” leaving a tunnel in Rafah, saying this was a breach of the ceasefire.
Last week, Israeli media reported IDF officials had accepted the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll of more than 71,000 people since October 2023.
However, an IDF spokesperson later downplayed the reports, saying they did not “reflect official IDF data.”
