Rafah crossing (Photo Credit: Al Jazeera)
Palestinian official Ali Shaat on Thursday, January 22 announced that Rafah crossing in Gaza will reopen next week after it was closed during the two year conflict with Israel.
The announcement was made during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. “I am pleased to announce the Rafah crossing will open next week in both directions. For Palestinians in Gaza, Rafah is more than a gate. It is a lifeline and symbol of opportunity,” Shaat said in a statement.
He said that the opening of Rafah signals that Gaza is no longer closed to the future and to the war. According to a report by Al Jazeera, Israel did not comment on the opening of the Rafah border which it has controlled since 2024.
Since the Israel- Hamas ceasefire came into effect on October 2025, the former has staled opening the Rafah crossing to allow the much needed aid to flow in and Palestininas requiring medical attention to leave.
Following the ceasefire deal, Israel currently controls more than half of Gaza beyond what is known as the yellow line, including the area that abuts the border crossing. In case the Rafah crossing is opened, it would mark shift from an earlier Israeli policy that stated the crossing would only open “exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt”.
This post was last modified on January 23, 2026 12:58 pm