It was announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that the Rafah Border Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt"not be opened until further notice."
In a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated that the Rafah Border Crossing, the Palestinians' gateway to the world,"will not be opened until further notice," despite being among Israel's obligations under the agreement.
The statement claimed that the opening of the border depended on Hamas returning the bodies of Israeli prisoners in Gaza, and that a re-evaluation would be made if Hamas fulfilled its obligations under the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
"The border was to be opened as part of the ceasefire to allow Palestinians to move in both directions, not to allow aid in," the statement said.
While Rafah was expected to open on Wednesday, Israel claimed that the border was not opened to crossings due to"logistical reasons."
IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD OPEN ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 20
In a statement released by the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo, it was announced that the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip will open on October 20.
The Palestinian Embassy in Cairo has made a new announcement regarding the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The embassy's statement read,"Following discussions with the relevant authorities in Egypt, the Rafah Border Crossing will be opened as of Monday, October 20th. Travel by Palestinian citizens residing in Egypt who wish to return to the Gaza Strip will be carried out in accordance with the current coordination mechanism."
The embassy stated that individuals wishing to return to Gaza must provide their identification details to the authorities. The statement added that details regarding assembly locations and times would be provided to Palestinian citizens at a later date, prior to their departure.
US President Donald Trump announced on October 9 that Israel and Hamas had approved the first phase of a ceasefire plan in Gaza during ongoing negotiations in Egypt.
While the agreement was signed in Egypt, where the negotiations were held, the agreement came into effect on October 10 with the approval of the Israeli government.
During Israel's two-year attack on the Gaza Strip, 67,967 Palestinians lost their lives and 170,179 were injured.