Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Sunday that Israel has agreed to a “limited reopening” of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt under President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
In a series of posts on X, Netanyahu’s office said the crossing will reopen after the completion of an operation to locate the remains of the final Israeli hostage. The reopening will be limited to pedestrian traffic and remain subject to a full Israeli inspection process.
“As part of President Trump’s 20-point plan, Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism,” the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel wrote.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the reopening was contingent on the return of all living hostages and what it described as a “100 percent effort” by Hamas to locate and return the remains of all deceased hostages.
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All deceased hostages have been recovered except for police officer Ran Gvili.
“The IDF is currently conducting a focused operation to exhaust all of the intelligence that has been gathered in the effort to locate and return the fallen hostage, Master-Sgt. Ran Gvili, of blessed memory,” the Prime Minister’s Office wrote. “Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed upon with the US, Israel will open the Rafah Crossing.”
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“The State of Israel is committed to the return of Israeli hero Master-Sgt. Ran Gvili and will spare no effort to bring him home for a proper Jewish burial,” the statement added.
President Trump released his 20-point plan to end the Gaza war in September. The 20 remaining hostages were freed from captivity in Gaza on Oct. 13.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration formally launched the second phase of the plan, shifting from a ceasefire framework toward a post-ceasefire political and security phase for Gaza.
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff warned that Hamas must fully comply with its obligations under the agreement, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage.
“The U.S. expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage,” Witkoff wrote on X on Jan. 14. “Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”
Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
