Israel says Rafah crossing to remain closed until further notice

CAIRO - 18 October 2025: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Rafah crossing in Gaza will remain closed until further notice, shortly after the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt declared it would reopen on Monday.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said that the crossing’s reopening “will be under consideration in accordance with the manner in which Hamas implements its part in return of the deceased hostages and implementation of the agreed upon framework.”

Since the Gaza ceasefire took effect on October 10, Hamas has fulfilled its part of the agreement regarding the handover of all 20 living captives it had held since October 2023, within 72 days of the Israeli forces’ withdrawal to the agreed areas inside the enclave.

The group has also transferred the bodies of 10 out of 28 deceased captives, a few at a time, saying it requires heavy machinery and excavation equipment to expedite the recovery of remains from beneath the rubble.

Meanwhile, Israel has criticized Hamas for what it described as delays in the handover process.

Netanyahu’s office insists that Hamas knows the whereabouts of the dead captives and warned in statements to Reuters that the group is “running out of time.”