Posted on 10/18/2025 5:08:57 PM PDT by jerod
Palestinian Embassy in Egypt said it would open Monday, but Israeli PM refutes claim
The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen Monday for people returning to Gaza, the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt said Saturday, but the territory's sole gateway to the outside world will remain closed to people trying to leave.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement within minutes, saying that the Rafah crossing wouldn't reopen "until further notice," adding that it would depend on how Hamas fulfils its role in returning all the bodies of the dead hostages.
Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday had said that the crossing would likely reopen Sunday — another step in the fragile ceasefire.
The Rafah crossing is the only one not controlled by Israel before the war. It has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza side.
A fully reopened crossing would make it easier for Gazans to seek medical treatment, travel or visit family in Egypt, home to tens of thousands of Palestinians. It's unclear who will operate the crossing's heavily damaged Gaza side once the war ends.
Hamas, in a statement late on Saturday, said Netanyahu's decision "constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and a repudiation of the commitments he made to the mediators and guarantor parties."
It also said the continued closure of the Rafah crossing would prevent the entry of equipment needed to search for and locate more hostage bodies under the rubble, and would thus delay the recovery and handover of the remains...
Time for Egypt to re-arm Hamas. Rinse and repeat.
I wonder if they’re trying to get Gazans to mass at the border Monday to create a crisis.
The Hamas terrorist gang like to shoot its mouth off almost as much as it likes to shoot rockets, missiles, and bombs at innocent civilians.
Fundamentally, however, Hamas has everything wrong, reversed, as usual. The path OUT of Gaza district is already open via Israel and Israel will open the Rafah checkpoint similarly at some date to be determined by security concerns. It will not be up to Hamas in any way, shape, or form. Hamas is to be eliminated not catered to.
Open it one way only. Let Egypt have ham-ass.
White House weighs in:
RT @StateDept: The United States has informed the guarantor nations of the Gaza peace agreement of credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.
This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts. The guarantors demand Hamas uphold its obligations under the ceasefire terms.
Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire.
The United States and the other guarantors remain resolute in our commitment to ensuring the safety of civilians, maintaining calm on the ground, and advancing peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza and the region as a whole.
The Rafah area, above, and especially, below ground, was smuggling central. One of the ways that the Hamas billionaires became billionaires was the smuggling. For decades before Oct 7, Israel delivered tons of supplies into Gaza DAILY. Much of those supplies were smuggled. The supplies that remained in Gaza were used by Hamas to build their terror machine.
It may be time to create a coalition of nations to take over the GAZA strip. This would obviously include European troops from countries like Germany, France and the UK. America delivered peace... It will be up to them to do their part and maintain it.
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