Egypt begins receiving Palestinian patients via Rafah crossing

• Egypt to begin receiving Palestinian patients from Gaza via Rafah crossing.
• Mobile intensive care units deployed to assist incoming patients.
• Rafah crossing reopens after over 18 months of near-total closure.

Egypt will begin receiving Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing on Monday, authorities announced Sunday.

The Egyptian state channel, Al-Qahira Al-Ikhbariya, reported that the Palestinian side of Rafah began a “trial operation” Sunday, with official operations scheduled to start Monday. Patients will be transferred to Egypt to receive medical care, with mobile intensive care units from the Egyptian Ministry of Health ready at the crossing.

Round-the-Clock Preparedness

Egyptian authorities confirmed the crossing is open 24 hours a day and fully prepared, with ambulances deployed to transport incoming patients. Officials said patient transfers will follow an agreed-upon procedure, though details were not disclosed.

Context of Closure and Occupation

The Palestinian side of Rafah has been largely closed for over 18 months due to near-total Israeli control, as reported by the Palestinian news agency WAFA and Hebrew media. Since May 2024, 'Israel' has occupied the Palestinian side of the crossing amid a two-year genocidal campaign in Gaza that began on October 8, 2023.

During a ceasefire in January 2025, Israel briefly allowed patients and the injured to leave Gaza for treatment abroad but reclosed the crossing after hostilities resumed in March. A later agreement under a US-brokered ceasefire, effective October 10, 2025, stipulated reopening in phases, but 'Israel' delayed compliance until now.

War Toll and Humanitarian Impact

The two-year 'Israeli' war has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000. Nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed, with the United Nations estimating reconstruction costs at around $70 billion.