Israel loses major 'leverage': Rafah crossing will open today, not on Sunday'

January 31, 2025   

The Rafah Crossing will open for the first time today (Friday) and not on Sunday - as originally planned according to the Phase 1 agreement in the hostage deal. According to a report by Elior Levy in Kan News, according to the agreement, the Rafah Crossing was supposed to open at the beginning of next week, but according to official Palestinian sources, it was decided to bring its opening forward even before the expected release of the hostages on Saturday. The crossing will be operated by a European security delegation that will be responsible for the crossing, as well as by Palestinians from Gaza who are not affiliated with Hamas. Apparently, these are Gazans who are affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, but not those who will be under the official umbrella of the Authority. Those Palestinians who will operate the crossing have received permission from Israel. According to the agreement, starting today, Hamas terrorists who were injured during the war will be able to leave the crossing for medical treatment abroad and will also be allowed to return to the Gaza Strip after the treatment is completed. Correspondent Elior Levy notes that "the opening today deprives Israel of the main lever against Hamas, which will carry out the next strike tomorrow under Israeli demands, so as not to repeat the scenes that occurred yesterday during the release." Israel delivered a strong message to the mediators yesterday and made it clear that if the release of the three kidnapped on Saturday does not proceed smoothly, the opening of the Rafah crossing will be in danger. As mentioned, according to official Palestinian sources, the crossing is expected to open today.