Israel says Rafah crossing will have ‘limited’ reopening after hostage search | World News

Israel is carrying out a “focused operation” to find the body of the last remaining hostage in Gaza – and has agreed to a “limited” reopening of the Rafah crossing between the territory and Egypt once the operation has ended.

An Israeli military official said there were “several intelligence leads” regarding the possible location of police officer Ran Gvili’s remains, according to the Reuters news agency.

A “targeted operation” was under way in northern Gaza, the military added.

The Israeli military “is currently conducting a focused operation to exhaust all of the intelligence that has been gathered in the effort to locate and return the fallen hostage, Master Sgt Ran Gvili, of blessed memory,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.

“As part of President Trump’s 20-point plan, Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism.”

The crossing is the main route in or out of Gaza for nearly all of the two million people who live there.

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The Gaza side of the crossing has been under Israeli military control since 2024.

It was briefly opened early in 2025 for the evacuation of sick and wounded Palestinians for treatment, as part of the previous ceasefire deal.

But Israel has kept the Rafah crossing closed in both directions since the ceasefire in October, demanding Hamas must abide by the agreement to return all hostages still in Gaza, living and deceased.

Humanitarian aid trucks with vital supplies of food, aid and medicines have faced restrictions.

Last week, three sources told Reuters that Israel wants to restrict the number of Palestinians entering Gaza through the border crossing to ensure more people are allowed out than in.