The Rafah crossing will open “in the coming days” to let Gaza residents cross into Egypt, the Israeli military’s arm that oversees aid flows has said.
Israel was preparing to open the Rafah border as it said forensic tests showed that partial remains handed over this week do not match either of the hostages who remain in Gaza.
The remains handed over on Tuesday were found in Gaza’s northern town of Beit Lahiya, according to Palestinian media.
A specific time for the opening of the border has not been given, but it is hoped eventual access will allow people to cross for medical and travel purposes.
The coordination of government activities in the territories (COGAT) said the arrangement, which has Israeli security clearance, will be coordinated with Egypt under the supervision of the European Union mission, similar to the mechanism that operated in January 2025.
“In accordance with the ceasefire agreement and a directive of the political echelon, the Rafah Crossing will open in the coming days exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt,” a COGAT statement said.
It did not say whether there would be restrictions on who was allowed to leave Gaza, although they would require “Israeli security approval”.
The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas called for the crossing to be opened for medical evacuations and for travel to and from Gaza.
More than 16,500 sick and wounded people need to leave Gaza for medical care, according to the World Health Organization.
Rafah is Gaza’s only gateway to the rest of the world that’s not directly controlled by Israel.
It is under the control of Egypt as part of an agreement with Israel and the European Union.
Read more: How two years of war have shattered the Gaza Strip
Over the years, the crossing has been closed for long periods at a time.
When people are allowed through, there is the possibility the crossing will suddenly close without any significant notice.
With the remains of two hostages, one Israeli and one Thai national, remaining in Gaza, the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire is close to being completed.
Twenty living hostages and the remains of 26 others have been returned to Israel since the ceasefire began in early October.
Israel has been releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each hostage as part of the agreement.
The health ministry in Gaza said the number of remains received so far is 330.
This story originally appeared on Skynews
