Israel to reopen Gaza crossing after search for last dead hostage’s body ends

Israel has announced plans to allow a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing, signalling a potential easing of restrictions amid ongoing security operations linked to the recovery of a missing Israeli serviceman.

On Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel had “agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism.” The move is contingent on the completion of a military operation aimed at locating and returning the remains of Ran Gvili.

In a statement, Israeli authorities said the military was “currently conducting a focused operation to exhaust all of the intelligence that has been gathered in the effort to locate and return” Gvili. The operation, they stressed, is being carried out in close coordination with the United States.

“Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed upon with the US, Israel will open the Rafah crossing,” the statement added, underlining that the reopening is part of a broader, carefully managed framework designed to balance humanitarian considerations with security requirements.

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military confirmed that troops had “begun a targeted operation in the area of the Yellow Line in the northern Gaza Strip” as part of efforts to retrieve Gvili’s body. The Yellow Line marks the boundary of territory that remains under Israeli control in line with the current ceasefire arrangement.