Israel Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt reopened
According to Israeli reports, the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, which has been closed since the beginning of the Iran war, is open again for limited passenger traffic.
19.03.2026, 10:22
SDA
The responsible Israeli Cogat authority confirmed the opening in both directions on request. It had previously announced the reopening of the crossing for the middle of the week. The state-affiliated Egyptian television station Al-Kahira News also reported the limited reopening in the morning.
It was initially unclear how many people would enter and leave the country during the course of the day.
Israel had initially closed all crossings into the coastal strip with the start of the Israeli-American attacks on Iran on February 28 - and described this as a "necessary security measure".
Relief supplies arrive via Kerem Shalom border crossing
The Rafah crossing was only reopened at the beginning of February after around a year for the entry and exit of a limited number of Gaza residents. Entry and exit is strictly controlled. Aid supplies are still not being delivered to the Gaza Strip via this border crossing for the time being. Israel's army took control of the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side during its offensive in the Gaza Strip in May 2024. It has been closed almost continuously since then.
The Kerem Shalom crossing for aid deliveries to the coastal strip, which is particularly important for supplying the approximately two million inhabitants of the largely destroyed Gaza Strip, had already been reopened for goods traffic on March 3. This crossing connects the Gaza Strip with Israel.
