Netanyahu says it will open Rafah crossing and begin second phase of ceasefire after search ends
Israel said on Sunday its military was conducting a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza, as Washington and other mediators pressure Israel and Hamas to move into the next phase of their ceasefire.
The statement came as Israel’s cabinet met to discuss the possibility of opening Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and a day after top US envoys met the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, about next steps.
Israel’s demand for the return of the last hostage, Ran Gvili, has been widely seen as the last obstacle to opening the Rafah crossing and beginning the US-brokered ceasefire’s second phase.
Late Sunday, Netanyahu’s office in a statement said that once this search operation is “exhausted and in accordance with the agreement with the United States, Israel will open the Rafah crossing”.
