On 2 February 2026, the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, which is currently the only route for Palestinians to enter or exit Gaza, opened for the first time in nearly two years. The opening comes as part of the United States-brokered “ceasefire” deal signed on Oct 10th 2025, which witnessed many violations by the Israeli forces.
The announcement offered hope to thousands of injured Palestinians who lack access to essential medical treatment within Gaza following Israel’s war. Nevertheless, travel through the crossing has been heavily disrupted by restrictions enforced by the Israeli government.
Starting with the numbers agreed between the affiliated parties, which included 50 people to enter Gaza and 150 people to leave Gaza . These figures have not even been met. Notably, the 150 departures per day refer specifically to 50 sick or injured individuals permitted to leave daily, each accompanied by two escorts. These are already extremely limited numbers compared to the thousands of people who urgently need to leave for medical treatment
172 Palestinians have left the Gaza Strip since the crossing’s reopening as of February 12th , while around 230 people returned to Gaza according the World Health Organization and UN OCHA.
For Palestinians who were able to cross the Rafah crossing in and out, testimonies reported that they were subjected to intense mistreatment by Israeli forces, including being handcuffed and blindfolded upon arrival, subjected to prolonged interrogations, and questioned about their reasons for returning to Gaza.
According to Save the Children, 20,000 people, including 4,000 children need urgent medical evacuation, in addition to thousands of patients who need special treatment that is unavailable in Gaza, noting that Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that 1,268 patients have already died while waiting to leave for urgent medical treatment.
Within this context, can Rafah crossing be considered open?
Sources:
https://www.dw.com/en/israel-gaza-rafah-border-crossing-open-phase-two/a-75746551
https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-357-gaza-strip
https://www.972mag.com/gaza-rafah-crossing-israel-abu-shabab/
https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2026-press-releases/limited-opening-rafah-border-medical-evacuations-take-over-a-year
