Palestinians in a spot as Israel disagrees on Rafah opening
- Last updated: October 19, 2025 | 11:20
The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen on Monday for people returning to Gaza, the Palestinian embassy in Egypt said on Saturday, but the territory’s sole gateway to the outside world will remain closed to people trying to leave.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement within minutes, saying that the Rafah crossing wouldn’t reopen “until further notice,” adding that it would depend on how Hamas fulfills its role in returning all the bodies of the dead hostages.
Israel’s foreign ministry on Thursday had said that the crossing would likely reopen Sunday - another step in the fragile ceasefire.
The Rafah crossing is the only one not controlled by Israel before the war. It has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza side. A fully reopened crossing would make it easier for Gazans to seek medical treatment, travel or visit family in Egypt, home to tens of thousands of Palestinians.
UAE AID: Al Ihsan Charity Association has sent 2,000 aid packages to support the people of Gaza through the “UAE Humanitarian Ship,” as part of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3.
Half of the packages contained essential food supplies, while the other half included winter clothing, under the “Winter Bridges for Gaza Relief” campaign.
The initiative comes in response to the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to support the Palestinian people, reflecting the UAE’s enduring values of solidarity and humanitarian action.
The campaign was supervised by Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Nuaimi, Director-General of the Association, alongside staff and volunteers. He emphasised that Al Ihsan Charity Association has always been at the forefront of supporting Gaza, continuing the UAE’s deep-rooted commitment to generosity and humanitarian aid.
CAIRO MEET ON RECONSTRUCTION: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty on Saturday said that Egypt is exerting its utmost efforts, in cooperation with regional and international partners, to shortly organise the International Conference for Early Recovery and Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, scheduled to be held in Cairo next November.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained in a statement that the conference comes within the framework of international efforts aimed at supporting the Palestinian people and rebuilding the Gaza Strip, noting that logistical and technical arrangements are in full swing to ensure that the conference produces practical results that contribute to alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people and rebuilding what was destroyed by the war.
The conference will tackle the implementation of the Arab-Islamic plan and US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, particularly regarding Gaza’s development, Abdelatty said, expressing Egypt’s aspiration for active participation from various parties of the international community.
In the same context, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received a phone call from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who praised Egypt’s successful role in securing a ceasefire in Gaza and.
Sisi reiterated Egypt’s intention to host the International Conference for Early Recovery and Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
The President said that he looked forward to continuing coordination and cooperation with the Malaysian side in this regard.
For his part, the Malaysian Prime Minister welcomed this initiative, and expressed his country’s keenness to participate in the conference and engage in the efforts to rebuild the Strip.
He also expressed Malaysia’s willingness to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, in full coordination with Egypt.
Agencies