Israel confirms control of Rafah border crossing into Gaza during first phase of ceasefire deal
22 January 2025, 12:38
Israel has confirmed it will maintain control of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in phase one of its ceasefire deal with Hamas.
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A statement released by Israeli 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.
It comes after the first three of an agreed 33 Hamas-held hostages were released on Sunday in return for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel as part of the first phase of the deal.
As part of the statement, Netanyahu's office 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.
It comes as aid trucks were allowed to enter the war-torn region following the commencement of the ceasefire agreement.
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Israel captured the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing last May, forcing all traffic - including humanitarian aid, to be blocked from entering.
Egypt, a key mediator in more than a year of negotiations that led to the ceasefire, has demanded that Palestinians control the Gaza side.
Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Gaza says trucks from the UN, aid groups, governments and the private sector are arriving and no major looting has been reported - only a few minor incidents.
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.
In his talks with families at a communal kitchen run by the UN World Food Programme and elsewhere, he said, they all told him they need humanitarian assistance but want to go home, to work and earn money.
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.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250.
Around 100 hostages still remain in Gaza, after the rest were released, rescued, or their bodies were recovered.
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.
