Gaza's Rafah border crossing reopens, but few have been allowed to cross

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+ A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: Gaza's main border crossing has reopened after being sealed shut for most of the war. Reopening the Gaza-Egypt border is a key step in President Trump's ceasefire deal, but so far, very few have been allowed to cross. Here's NPR's Daniel Estrin. DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: The Rafah border crossing is Gaza's main portal to the outside world, a portal that's largely been sealed for most of the war. Israeli troops took control there, and Israel refused to let the border reopen until the last Israeli hostage body was recovered from Gaza last week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Palestinians could now come and go at the Rafah border. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Rafah will be open both directions. The numbers are - I don't remember the exact number. Fifty plus family members, I think, coming in. Coming out, more or less - more, if people want to leave, we are not going to prevent anyone from leaving. ESTRIN: But when the border opened Monday, it only opened a crack. Gaza health officials say only five Palestinians were allowed to leave for medical treatment abroad along with companions. A group of 50 had been told they'd be able to leave, like Ibrahim Al-Thuraya (ph), who spoke to reporters in Gaza. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) IBRAHIM AL-THURAYA: (Non-English language spoken). ESTRIN: "I lost vision in my left eye. I still have pieces of shrapnel behind the eye," he says. He was wounded in the war and has been waiting nine months for permission to travel abroad for medical care. Gaza health officials say some 20,000 Palestinians need to go abroad for medical treatment unavailable in Gaza, and Israeli military attacks on Gaza continue killing and wounding Palestinians today. On Monday, only nine women and three children were allowed to cross in the opposite direction, returning back to Gaza after getting medical treatment in Egypt during the war. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Crying). ESTRIN: Al Jazeera showed video of emotional scenes when those select few were allowed back into Gaza after Israeli military security checks they described as humiliating. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) ASMAA AL-RIQIB: (Non-English language spoken). ESTRIN: Palestinian news site Donia Al-Watan posted an interview on Facebook with Asmaa Al-Riqib (ph). She said she and her mother were blindfolded, tied and interrogated about Hamas and about the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 that sparked the war. The U.S. urged Israel to allow this border to reopen, but even more difficult steps lay ahead, like disarming Hamas. Now the U.S. and Israel are focused on Iran. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff meets Netanyahu and Israeli officials today. President Trump says he wants a deal with Iran. A person briefed on the matter who's not authorized to speak publicly tells NPR Israeli officials are urging a deal to end Iran's uranium enrichment, restrict its missiles and end its support for militant groups in the region like Hamas. Otherwise, Israel wants the U.S. to attack Iran. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome

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