Israel to reopen Gaza's Rafa crossing

Israel will reopen Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt for the passage of people only after an operation to locate the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in the enclave is completed, this according to a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.



The border was supposed to have opened ⁠during the initial phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war, under a ceasefire reached in October ⁠between Israel and Hamas.



However, Israel conditioned the reopening on the return of all living hostages held by Palestinian militant factions in Gaza, as well as a "100% effort" by Hamas to locate and return the bodies of all deceased hostages.



All have been returned except for the body of police officer Ran Gvili.



The Israeli military said on Sunday it had launched a "targeted operation" in northern Gaza to retrieve his remains, while an Israeli military official said there were "several intelligence leads" regarding his possible location.



On Thursday, Ali Shaath, head of a transitional Palestinian committee backed by the U.S. to temporarily administer Gaza, said the Rafah Crossing would open this week.



It is effectively the sole route in or out of Gaza for nearly all of the more than 2 million people who live there.