The Trump administration expects that Israel will reopen the Rafah Border Crossing in the coming days to both the entry and exit of Gazans after US President Donald Trump and his aides raised the issue during their meetings in Florida with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a US official has told The Times of Israel.

While the crossing was supposed to reopen as part of the October Gaza ceasefire agreement, Israel has only been willing to comply if the gate is used exclusively for the exit of Palestinians until the body of the final hostage, police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, is returned.

Egypt, in turn, has kept the Rafah crossing closed, arguing that Jerusalem is trying to dilute the Strip’s population by not letting anyone back in.

Coming under pressure from the Trump administration, Netanyahu raised the idea of reopening Rafah in both directions before his cabinet last week. However, he faced pushback from far-right ministers who have throughout the war called to encourage the migration of Gazans from the Strip.

According to Channel 12 news, Israel plans to move ahead with the full reopening of Rafah when Netanyahu returns from the US on Friday, with an Israeli official telling the network that Jerusalem does not want to be seen as the party that is blocking the implementation of Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

Also Wednesday, IDF chief Eyal Zamir said that as 2025 came to an end, Israel remains determined to disarm the Hamas terror group. He described 2026 as a “decisive year” for Israel’s security.

Zamir visited troops in Gaza on Wednesday, days after Netanyahu raised the issue of Hamas disarmament in talks with Trump.

“The year 2026 will be a decisive year in shaping the security reality of the State of Israel. Our determination to disarm Hamas of its weapons is absolute,” Zamir told troops.

“We will not allow the Hamas terrorist organization to rebuild its capabilities and threaten us,” he added.

Releasing a year-end summary of its operations in 2025 on Wednesday, the military said that in Gaza, nearly 14,000 terror targets were hit, including weapons depots and command facilities. Dozens of senior Hamas commanders were eliminated, among them........

© The Times of Israel