Ammon News - Israel has said it will open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt in a limited “pilot phase” on Monday, as thousands of sick and wounded Palestinians wait for urgent medical care abroad.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls aid to Gaza, said on Sunday that the crossing will reopen in both directions for Gaza residents on foot only, and that its operation will be coordinated with Egypt ‍and the European Union.

“Today, a pilot is underway to test and assess the operation of the crossing,” the agency said in a statement. “The movement of residents in both directions, entry and exit to and from Gaza, is expected to begin tomorrow.”

The announcement came after Israeli military said it has completed a complex that will serve as a screening facility for Palestinians passing in and out of Gaza through the crossing.

Rafah is the only border crossing in Gaza that does not pass through Israel, and it was jointly managed by Palestinian and Egyptian authorities, in coordination with Israel, before the war.

But it has been shut for nearly two years after Israeli forces seized it in May 2024, during the country’s genocidal war on Gaza.