As of early February 2026, the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has partially reopened for the first time in nearly two years, allowing a very restricted number of people to pass through under stringent Israeli supervision. Initially only five to fifteen patients were allowed to leave for medical treatment, despite thousands being on waiting lists.

Pedestrians went through. Humanitarian aid, construction materials, and commercial goods were gridlocked. The crossing is multi-stage security managed by Israel. A new checkpoint, named “Regavim” has been established by the Israeli military in an area under its control to vet returnees.

Though heavily restricted, the opening is significant. Approximately 20,000 to 22,000 sick and injured Palestinians still wait to be evacuated for urgent medical care, which the current rate of passage is too slow to meet.

The reopening, part of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that began in October 2025, remains fragile with reduced, military activity. Israel’s strategy regarding the Rafah crossing goes beyond official security objectives to include long-term control of Gaza’s borders and, possibly demographic engineering. Israel’s strategic goals behind controlling the Rafah gate aim to create a “net exodus” of Gazans, with more people to exit Gaza than enter. It is euphemistically described as incentivised emigration. Rather than a border, Israel has developed the “Regavim Inspection Nekez” on its side designed as a permanent checkpoint for surveillance and population movement control.Israel has sought to deploy private US security firms to manage the crossing, which analysts argue allows Israel to control the border while maintaining a degree of “deniability”. Israel preconditions reconstruction to full demilitarisation. By regulating the only non-Israeli entry point, the movement of goods, technicians, and materials, and any future rebuilding of Gaza is measured.

The occupation of the Rafah crossing is part of a broader, long-term goal to secure the 13-km “Philadelphi Corridor” (the Gaza-Egypt border), isolating Gaza from Egypt. Israel frames the control of the Rafah crossing as essential to ensure Hamas is wholly disarmed. These........

© Middle East Monitor