Israel to reopen Gaza crossing with Egypt

Israel launches operation to locate hostage

FE Team | Published: January 26, 2026 23:10:19

GAZA, Jan 26 (BBC/AP): Israel says it has agreed to reopen the Gaza Strip's key border crossing with Egypt only after an operation to retrieve the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in the territory is complete.
The Rafah crossing has been mostly closed since May 2024, when the Palestinian side was seized by Israeli forces. It was meant to have reopened during the first stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began in October.
However, the Israeli government has made that conditional on Hamas making every effort to return the body of the last hostage, police officer Master Sgt Ran Gvili.
On Sunday, Israel's military said it had begun a new search for his remains in northern Gaza. Although in its latest announcement Israel appears to offer a timeframe for the reopening of the crossing, it is not known how long the search for Gvili will take.
Israel said Sunday its military was conducting a "large-scale operation" to locate the last hostage in Gaza, as Washington and other mediators pressure Israel and Hamas to move into the next phase of their ceasefire.