First Palestinian arrested at Rafah crossing since Israel reopened border
A man returning to Gaza after three years was arrested by Israeli forces, raising concerns over restrictive controls at the key Egypt-Gaza crossing.
Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian man on Sunday as he returned to Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, marking the first arrest since Israel reopened the crossing, a Palestinian security source said.
The man had been returning to Gaza after a three-year absence when authorities took him into custody, the source told Anadolu.
Israel initially reopened the Palestinian side of Rafah on February 2 on a very limited basis, following its occupation of the crossing in May 2024.
After a nearly three-week closure triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran, the crossing reopened again on March 19, under the same strict restrictions.
The source warned that the crossing could increasingly serve as a point for arresting Palestinians travelling in and out of Gaza.
Increasing humanitarian crisis
According to Gaza’s Border Crossings Authority, 25 Palestinians—including eight patients and 17 companions—left Gaza on Sunday, while 28 others entered. Returnees reported lengthy interrogations and temporary detention before being allowed to proceed.
Humanitarian concerns remain urgent: approximately 22,000 wounded and sick Palestinians need to leave Gaza for medical care amid the collapse of the territory’s health system.
Before the war, hundreds of Palestinians crossed daily under arrangements managed by Gaza’s Interior Ministry and Egyptian authorities, without Israeli interference.
The Rafah crossing was expected to reopen during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10, 2025, but Israel did not implement this plan.
Israel’s genocide since October 2023 left over 72,000 Palestinians dead, around 172,000 injured, and devastated nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.