Egypt-Gaza border crossing expected to reopen for pedestrians soon

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip is expected to reopen to civilians next week, according to several sources.

The facility is expected to officially reopen for pedestrian traffic on Tuesday, Palestinian sources said.

The Palestinian Authority will jointly manage the Palestinian side of the crossing with a European Union mission, the sources added.

An Egyptian security source meanwhile said coordination is under way with all sides to reopen the crossing on Tuesday to transport wounded and sick people from the Gaza Strip and allow the entry of those stranded in Egypt.

Israeli security sources emphasized that all those entering or leaving the strip would be subject to Israeli approval.

On Friday, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the Rafah crossing would be reopened in both directions on Tuesday under US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.

The crossing was briefly reopened during a January ceasefire that later collapsed.

Israel took control of the Palestinian side of the facility in an offensive in May last year, saying it sought to prevent the Palestinian militant Hamas movement from smuggling weapons into Gaza through border tunnels.

In the past week, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire and hostage release deal, seen as a breakthrough to end two years of devastating war.

Egypt has repeatedly said it has kept the crossing open from the Egyptian side and blamed Israel for disruptions to aid supplies for the heavily populated Gaza Strip.