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Gaza's Rafah Crossing Reopens, Allowing Limited Travel as Palestinians Claim Delays, Mistreatment

Ayada Al-Sheikh is welcomed by his sister, Nisreen, upon his arrival in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip after returning to Gaza following the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, early Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Ayada Al-Sheikh is welcomed by his sister, Nisreen, upon his arrival in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip after returning to Gaza following the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, early Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Gaza's Rafah Crossing Reopens, Allowing Limited Travel as Palestinians Claim Delays, Mistreatment

Ayada Al-Sheikh is welcomed by his sister, Nisreen, upon his arrival in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip after returning to Gaza following the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, early Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Ayada Al-Sheikh is welcomed by his sister, Nisreen, upon his arrival in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip after returning to Gaza following the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, early Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A limited number of Palestinians were able to travel between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday, after Gaza's Rafah crossing reopened after a two-day closure, Egyptian state media reported.

The vital border point opened last week for the first time since 2024, one of the main requirements for the US-backed ceasefire. The crossing was closed Friday and Saturday because of confusion about reopening operations.

Egypt's Al Qahera television station said that Palestinians began crossing in both directions around noon on Sunday. Israel didn't immediately confirm the information, according to The AP news.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington this week, though the major subject of discussion will be Iran, his office said.

Over the first four days of the crossing's opening, just 36 Palestinians requiring medical care were allowed to leave for Egypt, plus 62 companions, according to UN data, after Israel retrieved the body of the last hostage held in Gaza and several American officials visited Israel to press for the opening.

Palestinian officials say nearly 20,000 people in Gaza are seeking to leave for medical care that isn't available in the territory. Those who have succeeded in crossing described delays and allegations of mistreatment by Israeli forces and other groups involved in the crossing, including an Israeli-backed Palestinian armed group, Abu Shabab.

A group of Palestinian patients and wounded gathered Sunday morning in the courtyard of a Red Crescent hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, before making their way to the Rafah crossing with Egypt for treatment abroad, family members told The Associated Press.

Amjad Abu Jedian, who was injured in the war, was scheduled to leave Gaza for medical treatment on the first day of the crossing’s reopening, but only five patients were allowed to travel that day, his mother, Raja Abu Jedian, said. Abu Jedian was shot by an Israeli sniper while he doing building work in the central Bureij refugee camp in July 2024, she said.

On Saturday, his family received a call from the World Health Organization notifying them that he is included in the group that will travel on Sunday, she said.

“We want them to take care of the patients (during their evacuation),” she said. “We want the Israeli military not to burden them.”

The Israeli defense branch that oversees the operation of the crossing didn't immediately confirm the opening.

Heading back to Gaza A group of Palestinians also arrived Sunday morning at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing to return to the Gaza Strip, Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News satellite television reported.

Palestinians who returned to Gaza in the first few days of the crossing's operation described hours of delays and invasive searches by Israeli authorities and Abu Shabab. A European Union mission and Palestinian officials run the border crossing, and Israel has its screening facility some distance away.

The crossing was reopened on Feb. 2 as part of a fragile ceasefire deal to halt the Israel-Hamas war.

The Rafah crossing, an essential lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza, was the only one in the Palestinian territory not controlled by Israel before the war. Israel seized the Palestinian side of Rafah in May 2024, though traffic through the crossing was heavily restricted even before that.

Restrictions negotiated by Israeli, Egyptian, Palestinian and international officials meant that only 50 people would be allowed to return to Gaza each day and 50 medical patients — along with two companions for each — would be allowed to leave, but far fewer people have so far crossed in both directions.

A senior Hamas official, Khaled Mashaal, said the militant group is open to discuss the future of its arms as part of a “balanced approach” that includes the reconstruction of Gaza and protecting the Palestinian enclave from Israel.

Mashaal said the group has offered multiple options, including a long-term truce, as part of its ongoing negotiations with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators.

Hamas plans to agree to a number of “guarantees,” including a 10-year period of disarmament and an international peacekeeping force on the borders, “to maintain peace and prevent any clashes,” between the militants and Israel, Mashaal said at a forum in Qatar’s capital, Doha.

Israel has repeatedly demanded a complete disarmament and destruction of Hamas and its infrastructure, both military and civil.

Mashaal accused Israel of financing and arming militias, like the Abu Shabab group which operates in Israeli military-controlled areas in Gaza, “to create chaos” in the enclave.

In the forum, Mashaal was asked about Hamas’ position from US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. He didn’t offer a specific answer, but said that the group won’t accept “foreign intervention” in Palestinian affairs.

“Gaza is for the people of Gaza. Palestinians are for the people of Palestine,” he said. “We will not accept foreign rule.”

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Arab World

Bab al-Mandeb Close to Liberation, Houthis Intensify Fighting in Lahj

A Yemeni solider in battle near Taiz city. (AFP)
A Yemeni solider in battle near Taiz city. (AFP)
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Bab al-Mandeb Close to Liberation, Houthis Intensify Fighting in Lahj

A Yemeni solider in battle near Taiz city. (AFP)
A Yemeni solider in battle near Taiz city. (AFP)

Yemeni government forces are close to ending the Houthi presence in most positions the group still holds in the Bab al-Mandeb region, coinciding with intensifying battles in Lahj governorate.

There, the group has escalated its attacks on government force positions in the Al-Maqatirah district in an attempt to achieve a military breakthrough that would allow it to bypass toward Bab al-Mandeb and advance toward the Tur Al-Baha district.

The Giants Brigades continue to pressure the remaining Houthi pockets in Bab al-Mandeb, as government forces and the Popular Resistance are engaged in escalating confrontations along the Taiz and Lahj fronts. The clashes come amid Houthi attempts to reclaim positions lost over the past few days and open new advance routes toward strategic areas overlooking the west coast.

These developments were accompanied by decrees by Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, under which he reorganized the leadership of the Tur Al-Baha axis and the military command of the Taiz front.

The development took place following setbacks at certain positions over the past weeks, and coincides with the political leadership's reaffirmation to press ahead with the Dawn of Yemen Operation until its declared goals are achieved.

According to field sources, the Houthis only hold one main in the Bab al-Mandeb region, as well as a handful of hills where a limited number of fighters are positioned.

The sources said government forces are close to establishing full control over these sites; however, the high density of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by the group is hindering the advance and poses a direct threat to the troops, requiring clearing operations before military objectives can be fully completed.

Houthi pressure on Lahj

The Houthis launched a violent pre-dawn attack on Tuesday against government positions on the Al-Maqatirah front north of Lahj governorate.

Units from the National Resistance successfully repelled the assault for the second consecutive day, following a similar attack on Monday.

Government forces targeted Houthi positions in the Sawalihah mountains of the Al-Nusayrah area with medium and heavy weapons, inflicting casualties and equipment losses.

According to military information, forces managed to reclaim positions in the Al-Khazzan Al-Ahmar area on the Al-Nusayrah front and expel Houthi elements.

Arab World

Yemen: 21 Foreign ‘Experts’ from Iran’s IRGC, Hezbollah Operating with the Houthis

In this file photo, Houthi supporters hold posters of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian flags during a rally against Israel and the United States in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP)
In this file photo, Houthi supporters hold posters of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian flags during a rally against Israel and the United States in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP)
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Yemen: 21 Foreign ‘Experts’ from Iran’s IRGC, Hezbollah Operating with the Houthis

In this file photo, Houthi supporters hold posters of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian flags during a rally against Israel and the United States in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP)
In this file photo, Houthi supporters hold posters of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian flags during a rally against Israel and the United States in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP)

The Yemeni Ministry of Interior revealed Tuesday the presence of 21 foreign experts working with the terrorist Houthi militia, including 14 operatives from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and seven from the Lebanese Hezbollah, threatening the security of Yemen and international marine navigation and undermining regional and international security.

Distributed across six Yemeni governorates, these experts handle funding, arming, training, direct supervision, and operational planning to build the militias' military capabilities. This runs parallel to political, organizational, social, and media activities designed to cement long-term influence and establish networks of loyalty aimed at "placing Yemen outside its Arab surroundings."

The specializations of these foreign experts encompass operations management, command and control, ballistic missiles, drones, surveillance systems, communications, and electronic warfare, alongside overseeing supply lines and military component smuggling networks.

Their expertise also extends to coordinating maritime operations, selecting commercial vessel targets, developing booby-trapped boats, engineering autonomous submarines, and training elements in mine-laying and urban warfare tactics for city sieges.

A ministry statement said the operatives were working in Hodeidah, Sanaa, Saada, Hajjah, Amran and al-Kokha.

They are led by a military figure from the Revolutionary Guard, “who appears before cameras as an ambassador for a state that claims to respect international law.”

He serves as the general supervisor of operations, a strategic advisor, and the director of the joint operations room, alongside senior and mid-level officers specializing in drone workshops, smart missiles, and ballistic missiles, as well as naval experts and specialists in radar, communications, and electronic warfare.

“These activities threaten the security of the region, the lives of mariners, and the freedom of navigation in Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea, as well as trade routes and energy supplies,” said the statement.

It warned “of the potential transfer of military expertise and technology to other terrorist groups that share the same extremist ideology.”

It stressed the importance of the international community designating the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization, dismantling its financing and arming networks, and enforcing the arms embargo established under UN Security Council Resolutions 2216 and 2624.

“What the Houthis possess in terms of decision-making is merely the microphone, as the decisions are written in Tehran, announced in Sanaa, and paid for in Taiz, Hodeidah, and the rest of the governorates,” it added.

“The siege imposed by the terrorist Houthi militia on Taiz is one of the outcomes of this presence and support by experts from the IRGC and the terrorist Lebanese Hezbollah. It stands as evidence of the blatant presence, interference, and support for proxies in the region, which places the free world before a responsibility to stop these interventions and malicious acts,” it stressed.

Addressing the people, Interior Minister Ibrahim Haidan said: “This war into which the Houthis are driving you under the pretext of supporting Palestine is not your war; rather, the Houthis merely announce it, while Iran is the one guiding it, and you are the ones paying its price.”

Arab World

Houthis Commit More Violations in Taiz and Lahj, Drawing EU Condemnation

Residents walk on debris of their homes at Seina district in Taiz, Yemen, after a missile strike, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP)
Residents walk on debris of their homes at Seina district in Taiz, Yemen, after a missile strike, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP)
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Houthis Commit More Violations in Taiz and Lahj, Drawing EU Condemnation

Residents walk on debris of their homes at Seina district in Taiz, Yemen, after a missile strike, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP)
Residents walk on debris of their homes at Seina district in Taiz, Yemen, after a missile strike, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP)

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms documented 164 crimes and violations committed by the terrorist Houthis within 48 hours across the Taiz and Lahj governorates, reflecting the widening scope of their targeting of civilians and vital infrastructure in southwestern Yemen.

The attacks involved firing around 450 projectiles at populated areas, killing 28 civilians and injuring 57 others. The surge in violence coincided with the targeting of a health center in Lahj and a popular market in Taiz, drawing sharp condemnations from government officials, human rights organizations, and the European Union.

This Houthi offensive comes amid mounting humanitarian pressure on local populations, particularly in Taiz, which continues to endure a relentless blockade alongside severe restrictions on the delivery of supplies and aid.

Meanwhile, military clashes are expanding across the southern and western fronts of the governorate, as civilian and medical facilities are increasingly transformed into targets.

In its report on Tuesday, the Network stated that the death toll reached 28 civilians, including five children and three women. Furthermore, 57 others were injured, including 14 children and six women, with 10 healthcare workers among the casualties.

According to the report, the Houthi violations included killing and injuring individuals through shelling and sniper fire, committing two massacres against civilians, abduction, and detention. The acts also involved targeting residential neighborhoods, public roads, ambulance crews, and private vehicles, alongside recruiting young people from marginalized groups and subjecting them to enlistment programs.

Among the most prominent incidents documented by the rights network was the Houthi targeting of the Al-Saqiya health center in the Al-Mudharaba district in Lahj on Monday with a ballistic missile.

The attack caused deaths and injuries among medical personnel and triggered a wave of official condemnations, as it was a direct assault on a facility providing humanitarian services to civilians.

The Ministry of Public Health and Population announced that the attack resulted, according to an initial toll, in the death of five people, including three members of the medical team working at the center, and the injury of 15 others, including seven healthcare workers.

It said the attack was a blatant violation of humanitarian, international laws and norms that guarantee the protection of medical facilities, their workers, patients, and visitors, warning of the dangerous repercussions of such attacks on the capacity of health facilities, which are already limited, to continue providing their services.

It called on the United Nations, the international community, and humanitarian organizations, foremost among them the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to condemn the attack, investigate it, hold those responsible accountable, and work toward providing the necessary protection for health facilities, medical personnel, and ambulance crews.

Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zindani described the attack as a "full-fledged terrorist crime" and a violation of international humanitarian law.

It reveals a pattern of targeting civilian and medical facilities, and an assault on citizens' rights to life and medical treatment, he said in a telephone call with Lahj Governor Murad Al-Halimi.

European condemnation

In a statement on Monday, the European Union “strongly condemned the Houthis' continued military escalation in Yemen and their attacks against Saudi Arabia, particularly those targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

“We express our full solidarity with the legitimate Government of Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and their people,” it declared.

“The recent attacks against Aden’s Al-Maashiq palace, the continued siege of Taiz, the military action along Yemen's west coast, and attacks against Saudi Arabia, were heinous acts. All Houthi military action must end immediately,” it demanded.

“We call on all actors, including Iran to cease all military support to the Houthis, in violation of several United Nations Security Council resolutions,” it added.

“The EU reaffirms its firm commitment to Yemen's unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. We remain fully committed and will increase our support to the legitimate Government of Yemen and the Presidential Leadership Council, including in their efforts to advance reforms, strengthen governance and address the deteriorating economic, humanitarian and human rights situation,” it said.

“The EU reiterates that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Yemen and reaffirms its full support to the UN Special Envoy and for UN-led peace efforts in Yemen, in line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, including UNSCR 2216, aimed at achieving an inclusive, sustainable, Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political settlement,” it stressed.

It continued: “The Houthis’ military escalation and the crisis of access and affordability of essential goods across the country compound an already catastrophic humanitarian situation, worsening food insecurity and lack of access to healthcare and safe water, with more than 22 million people in need of assistance.”

The city of Taiz currently shelters 800,000-950,000 civilians, including displaced persons.

“The city is once again under siege, threatened by a major Houthi military build-up. The use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited under international law. Civilians must not be used as a shield for military objectives or operations. We call on the Houthis to urgently open a humanitarian corridor in Taiz and ensure safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access to all those in need,” said the EU statement.

“The safety and freedom of humanitarian staff to operate must be ensured at all times. All parties to the conflict must comply with international humanitarian and human rights law, including the obligation to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure,” it said.

“We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all humanitarian personnel including the 70 UN staff who remain arbitrarily detained by the Houthis in Sanaa.”