Israel Set To Open Rafah Crossing To Allow Palestinians To Exit Gaza

Latest Developments

• Key Crossing Set To Open: Israel’s unit for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced on December 3 that the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s southernmost border with Egypt, will reopen “in the coming days.” COGAT said that the exit of Palestinians will be “facilitated through coordination with Egypt,” in accordance with U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for the war-stricken enclave. However, Cairo’s state information service denied that it was coordinating with Israel to open the crossing. It added that under the terms of the ceasefire, the border would open in both directions to allow displaced Gazans in Egypt to return and to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid.
• Preparations Continue for Deployment of Palestinian Police to Gaza: Egypt and the European Union are making plans to expand the training of Palestinian police officers for an eventual deployment in Gaza as part of a future International Stabilization Force (ISF). Belgium, Jordan, and Egypt, which have largely been responsible for overseeing the training of the police officers, are working to recruit more officers to the force, drawing from pools of vetted Gazans and former Palestinian Authority officers residing in Gaza.
• New Documents Reveal Hamas Infiltration of NGOs: A new report from the Israeli watchdog NGO Monitor outlined how Hamas surveils the staff of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Gaza while assigning “guarantors” to intimidate and coerce them to serve “Hamas’s terror objectives.” The report asserted that NGOs are only allowed to operate in the enclave with Hamas’s strict approval and under the terrorist organization’s security control. The designated guarantors liaise between the NGOs and Hamas to allow the organizations to operate in Gaza despite international sanctions against Hamas, enabling the Iran-backed group to monitor the activities of the NGOs, according to the report.

FDD Expert Response

“Cairo argues that its demand for reopening the Rafah crossing in both directions is based on the terms of the ceasefire. But Egypt should first insist that Hamas fulfill its own obligations under the truce. It’s worth noting that Hamas has not returned the remaining slain hostages, something the group was required to do within 72 hours of implementation on October 10. The terror group has also violated the ceasefire dozens of times since then, firing at IDF troops across the newly established Yellow Line. Until Hamas upholds its own end of the deal, Cairo’s expectations of Israel appear unrealistic at best.” —Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor

“While establishing a police force to enforce the rule of law is a positive development, the plan’s reliance on also using existing Gaza-based police personnel presents a significant vulnerability. Drawing recruits from the current police structure in Gaza all but ensures the inclusion of Hamas operatives and members of other terrorist groups, ultimately reinforcing Hamas’s influence in areas it still controls.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

FDD Background and Analysis

“Terrorist uses aid route to fire at Israeli troops; IDF reports 14 Gaza ceasefire violations from November 22 to 26,” by Samuel Ben-Ur and Aaron Goren

“Beit Hanoun’s Lesson for Achieving Victory in Gaza,” by Mark Dubowitz

“Hamas is failing Trump’s cease-fire plan — and ‘the future’ of the Middle East is paying the price,” by Jonathan Schanzer

“Reconstructing Gaza: The devil is in the detail,” by Ben Cohen