Israel to Open Rafah Crossing for 'Exit of Gazans'

COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, has announced that the Rafah crossing will be opened in the coming days — “exclusively for the exit of residents” from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, pending Israeli security approval and coordination with Egypt. 

The statement did not specify exactly when the crossing would reopen, nor detail who among Gaza’s population would be eligible to leave. 

The announcement coincides with a plea from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for global support and expanded medical evacuations from Gaza. MSF warns that current evacuations are far below what is needed. 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 16,500 patients in Gaza require treatment outside the enclave; MSF estimates the actual need could be three to four times higher. 

Only a few countries — including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — have accepted large numbers of evacuees so far. MSF emphasises that the majority of urgently ill or wounded individuals remain stranded, with adults often overlooked in favour of children. 

Since the closure of the Rafah crossing in May 2024, evacuation capacity has plummeted. Before the closure, around 1,500 patients left Gaza each month for treatment abroad; after the closure, that number dropped to approximately 70 per month. 

MSF’s coordinator for medical evacuations, Hani Isleem, described the need as “really huge,” stressing that tens of thousands more Gazans could die without timely access to specialised care outside the enclave — especially given the war’s devastating toll on Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure.

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