{"id":794,"date":"2026-01-22T20:13:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T13:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=794"},"modified":"2026-01-22T20:13:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T13:13:18","slug":"gaza-rafah-crossing-with-egypt-to-reopen-next-week-palestinian-official-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=794","title":{"rendered":"Gaza Rafah Crossing With Egypt to Reopen Next Week, Palestinian Official Says","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Gaza<\/a><\/strong> main border crossing with Egypt<\/span><\/span><\/strong> is expected to reopen next week, according to a senior Palestinian technocrat appointed to help administer the enclave, following months of near-total closure during the war.<\/p>\n

The announcement was made on Thursday by Ali Shaath<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, speaking via video link at an event hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump<\/span><\/span><\/strong> on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> in Davos<\/span><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Shaath said the Rafah crossing<\/span><\/span><\/strong> would open in both directions, describing it as essential for Gaza\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Palestinians in Gaza, Rafah is not just a crossing,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a lifeline and a symbol of opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel Yet to Comment on Reopening<\/h4>\n

There was no immediate response from Israel<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, which has controlled the Rafah crossing since 2024. Despite a ceasefire that came into force on October 10 under a U.S.-backed plan, Israeli authorities have delayed reopening the crossing for humanitarian aid and medical evacuations.<\/p>\n

Under the ceasefire terms, Israel retained control over more than half of Gaza beyond the so-called yellow line, including areas adjacent to the Rafah crossing.<\/p>\n

If carried out, the reopening would mark a change from earlier Israeli policy, which limited use of the crossing largely to departures from Gaza into Egypt.<\/p>\n

\"Gaza<\/p>\n

New Technocratic Body Announced<\/h4>\n

The announcement comes as the White House confirmed the appointment of 15 members to an all-Palestinian technocratic body tasked with overseeing a transition in Gaza\u2019s governance.<\/p>\n

Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, was named general commissioner of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza<\/span><\/span><\/strong> (NCAG).<\/p>\n

In a statement following his appointment, Shaath said the committee would pursue peace while working to advance Palestinian rights and self-determination.<\/p>\n

Mixed Reactions Among Palestinians<\/h4>\n

Senior figures in Hamas<\/span><\/span><\/strong> have welcomed the committee\u2019s formation, calling it a constructive step that could help stabilise the ceasefire.<\/p>\n

However, some Palestinians have expressed concern that the technocratic framework could sideline core political issues, including statehood and ending Israel\u2019s long-standing occupation, in favour of economic reconstruction and foreign investment.<\/p>\n

Oversight by Trump\u2019s Board of Peace<\/h4>\n

Under the second phase of the ceasefire, the NCAG would operate under the oversight of a proposed Board of Peace<\/em>, to be chaired by Trump.<\/p>\n

The U.S. president formally launched the board in Davos on Thursday, describing it as a mechanism for resolving international conflicts. Permanent membership requires a $1 billion contribution.<\/p>\n

Although the board was initially presented as a vehicle for overseeing Gaza\u2019s reconstruction, a draft charter does not appear to restrict its mandate to the Palestinian territory alone.<\/p>\n

Trump has frequently criticised the United Nations<\/span><\/span><\/strong> and has previously suggested the new body could assume roles traditionally carried out by the UN, which was founded in 1945.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gaza main border crossing with Egypt is expected to reopen next week, according to a senior Palestinian technocrat appointed to help administer the enclave, following months of near-total closure during the war. The announcement was made on Thursday by Ali Shaath, speaking via video link at an event hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=794"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":798,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794\/revisions\/798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}