Twelve Palestinians – nine women and three children – crossed into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border with Egypt on February 3, marking the first group permitted to return since Israel reopened the crossing for limited pedestrian traffic earlier this week. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office confirmed eight other Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza for medical treatment in Egypt the same day.
Israel resumed operations at Rafah on February 2 after months of closure, though daily entry remains tightly controlled. A returnee who requested anonymity described the process as grueling: "Twelve of us entered Gaza, while the rest were sent back to Egypt. After months of waiting for treatment and safety, being turned away felt like a punishment."
Returnees reported stringent baggage limits, with Israeli authorities confiscating non-essential items. Om Ali, a Gaza City resident among those returning, recounted: "Each traveler could carry only one bag of clothing. I saw a child cry as soldiers took her toy."
While the reopening offers a fragile lifeline for displaced families, humanitarian groups criticize the restrictions as inadequate to address Gaza's prolonged humanitarian crisis. Over 4,000 Palestinians remain registered to cross, according to local authorities.
