The Rafah border crossing reopens, allowing injured Palestinians to enter Egypt after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages under a ceasefire deal. Israeli forces had closed the crossing for nine months before reopening it on Saturday, enabling medical evacuations.
Ambulances transported wounded Palestinians, including children, through Rafah, marking the first regulator evacuation since May 2024. Officials expect at least 50 critically ill children to cross into Egypt for urgent medical care.
Buses collected sick and injured individuals from Gaza hospitals before reaching Rafah, which has long been a crucial exit point for Palestinians. Israeli and Hamas negotiators plan to discuss the release of more than 60 additional hostages in the next phase of the ceasefire deal.
If no agreement is reached, fighting may resume in early March. The ceasefire on January 19th has temporarily halted the conflict, allowing humanitarian aid to reach Gaza. The truce follows the deadliest war between Israel and Hamas, which devastated Gaza´s health system and left most hospitals non-operational.
More than 110,000 Palestinians sustained injuries from Israeli airstrikes and ground offensives, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Hamas released the Israeli hostages as part of the agreement, leading to the release of 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody.
Among the freed Israelis was Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two children remain missing. Hamas previously claimed that an Israeli airstrike in 2023 killed Bibas’s wife and children. As the Rafah border crossing reopens, the search for answers continues as both sides prepare for further negotiations.
