US pressure on Israel to open the Rafah crossing continued in recent days during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meetings in the United States, Kan 11 News reported on Wednesday evening.
The report said that Israel is preparing for the possibility that the crossing will reopen in both directions after Netanyahu’s visit to the US concludes.
Before the Prime Minister’s meeting with US President Donald Trump, there were discussions about opening the crossing, but the move was postponed, according to the report.
An American official said he believes that an announcement on the opening of the crossing will take place in the coming days, after Netanyahu returns to Israel.
The Rafah crossing was originally scheduled to open in October with the signing of the ceasefire in Gaza, but due to Hamas violations and delays in returning the bodies of hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to postpone the reopening.
In early December, it was reported that Israel agreed that the Rafah crossing would reopen only for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip into Egypt, while entry into Gaza would not be permitted. Egypt denied at the time that an agreement had been reached to reopen the crossing.