Israel has said it will maintain control of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas.
A statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied reports that the Palestinian Authority would control the crossing.
The truce, now in its fourth day, is supposed to bring calm to the war-battered Gaza for at least six weeks and see 33 Hamas-held hostages released in return for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
At UNRWA centre in Khan Younis, UNRWA staff are working around the clock to deliver aid supplies to people across the #Gaza Strip.“You can’t imagine the atmosphere here. Staff are working tirelessly. They’re exhausted but they keep going” says one of our colleagues.#UNRWAworks pic.twitter.com/0hCcTrVGkv
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 21, 2025
The statement said European Union monitors would supervise the crossing, which will be surrounded by Israeli troops. Israel also will approve the movement of all people and goods.
Israel captured the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing last May, forcing it to shut down.
Egypt, a key mediator in more than a year of negotiations that led to the ceasefire, has demanded that Palestinians control the Gaza side.
Nearly 900 trucks of aid entered Gaza on the third day of the ceasefire on Tuesday, the United Nations said. This is significantly higher than the 600 trucks called for in the deal.
Muhannad Hadi, who returned to Jerusalem from Gaza on Tuesday afternoon, told UN reporters by video that it was one of the happiest days of his 35-year humanitarian career to see Palestinians in the streets looking ahead with hope, with some heading home and others starting to clear the roads.
Mr Hadi said: “They don’t like the fact that they have been depending on humanitarian aid.”
Palestinians talked about resuming education for their children and about the need for shelter, blankets and new clothes for women who have been wearing the same clothes for more than a year. He said a shipment of tents is expected in the coming days.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities but do not say how many of the dead were fighters.
Israel says it killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
