The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip will reopen in both directions next week, the newly-appointed administrator of the Palestinian territory said yesterday at the launch of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
The reopening of the crossing is part of the Gaza truce plan announced by Trump in October, but it has remained closed so far.
“I am pleased to announce the Rafah crossing will open next week in both directions,” Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority deputy minister, said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“For Palestinians in Gaza Rafah is more than a gate, it is a lifeline and symbol of opportunity. Opening Rafah signals that Gaza is no longer closed to the future and the world,” Shaath said.
As part of the truce plan, Shaath heads a committee of 15 Palestinian technocrats to oversee the day-to-day administration of Gaza.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has controlled the Rafah crossing since 2024.