In a move underscoring the delicate truce in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until Hamas hands over the bodies of the deceased Israeli hostages.
This decision came hours after the Palestinian embassy in Egypt said Rafah would reopen on Monday for entry into Gaza. The crossing, a vital route for Gazans seeking medical care, aid, or to reunite with family, has been largely shut since May 2024.
Israel has so far received 12 of the 28 hostage bodies under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal. Prime Minister Netanyahu argued that the slow pace of Hamas returns is a "blatant violation" of the agreement, while Hamas counters that searching through the rubble for remains takes time and accuses the Israeli military of "manipulating" the exchange by mismatching names.
The ceasefire deal, which saw Hamas release 20 living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, also calls for Israel to return 360 bodies of Palestinian militants. To date, Israel has released 15 bodies for each Israeli return.
Analysts warn that the standoff over body handovers could jeopardize the broader truce and hamper efforts to address other items in the 20-point peace plan. For Gazans, the closure of Rafah not only delays critical aid deliveries but also deepens uncertainty for travelers, humanitarian workers, and families caught between conflict lines.
As both sides navigate this tense impasse, the fate of Rafah may come to symbolize the fragility of ceasefires and the human cost of diplomatic deadlock in one of the world’s most watched conflicts.
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Israel keeps Rafah closed, blaming Hamas for body handover delays
cgtn.com
