Rafah border crossing set to reopen Monday for Gaza returnees, says Palestinian Embassy

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is expected to reopen Monday to allow Palestinians stranded abroad to return home, according to a statement from the Palestinian embassy in Cairo.

“The number of people registering to return to Gaza is very big,” Naji al-Naji, the embassy’s cultural counselor, told The Associated Press on Saturday. He did not provide an exact figure.

The announcement marks the first movement through the Rafah crossing since May 2024, which was when Israel seized control of the Gaza side during its military campaign against Hamas.

Rafah had long served as Gaza’s primary passage to the outside world not controlled directly by Israel.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials regarding the reopening.

The development comes as recovery efforts continue in Gaza, where search teams are still uncovering bodies from the devastation of months of war. More than a week into a fragile ceasefire, local authorities say the death toll has surpassed 68,000.

Israel confirmed Saturday that it has identified the remains of Eliyahu Margalit, the tenth hostage whose body was returned by Hamas a day earlier.