Israel says Rafah Crossing to reopen when IDF finishes search for last hostage body |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Sunday evening that Israel will reopen the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt after it completes a military operation that aims to recover the body of the last deceased hostage, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.
The announcement followed a security cabinet meeting on the issue, and with Israel facing significant international pressure to reopen the Rafah Crossing.
While the statement from Netanyahu’s office did not give a specific timeline for the IDF operation seeking to recover Gvili’s body, a US official told The Times of Israel that Washington expects the search to last several days, allowing for the reopening of Rafah by the end of this week.
The IDF confirmed on Sunday evening that it is searching for Gvili’s body in a cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF said that while it is credible that Gvili’s remains are located at the cemetery, there are other potential intelligence leads on where his body could be.
The chief commissioner of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the Gaza envoy for the NCAG-overseeing Board of Peace already announced on Thursday that Rafah would reopen this week for the first time in nearly a year.
While it was also used for goods throughout the war, the Rafah Crossing’s intended use is for pedestrians.
Netanyahu’s office said in its statement Sunday that the........