Israel Says Rafah Won’t Open Until Search for Ran Gvili Is Completed, Agrees to Pedestrian-Only Passage
Israel will permit only limited, pedestrian passage through the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, and only after completing an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation to recover the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the Prime Minister’s Office said Sunday following a security cabinet meeting.
In a statement issued Sunday evening, the Prime Minister’s Office said that as part of President Trump’s 20-point plan, Israel agreed to a restricted reopening of Rafah for foot traffic only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism. The statement stressed that the crossing’s reopening was conditioned on the return of all living hostages and on Hamas making a “100% effort” to locate and return all deceased hostages.
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According to the statement, the IDF is carrying out a focused operation to exhaust all intelligence gathered in the effort to locate and return Gvili’s remains. Only upon completion of that operation, and in accordance with understandings reached with the US, will Israel allow the crossing to reopen in its limited format.
Israel’s position comes as the Trump administration moves forward with the second phase of the 20-point ceasefire and reconstruction plan for Gaza, which includes reopening Rafah after more than a year. Despite this, Israel has insisted that the terms of the first phase be fully met, including the recovery of Gvili’s body, before proceeding.
Gvili, 24, was a policeman who was killed defending Kibbutz Alumim during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war. He had been awaiting shoulder surgery but joined the fighting when the assault began.
On Sunday evening, the IDF confirmed it is searching a cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip where intelligence suggests his remains may be located, while also examining additional leads regarding the possible location of his body.
