At the Cabinet meeting on Sunday evening, ministers sharply criticized the possibility of opening the Rafah crossing and reports that the Palestinian Authority may play a role in administering the Gaza Strip. They warned that such a move could lead to the future captivity of IDF soldiers and pose a significant security risk.
Minister Orit Strock stressed, “We are handing Gaza over to the Palestinian Authority with the blood of our children. This Cabinet will ultimately decide to send our soldiers to fight Hamas because no one else will do it - and then, what will we tell them?"
Minister Miri Regev stated, “Indeed, we must ensure that Gaza is governed by neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority."
Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “If we do not control the area with military rule, the result will be a Palestinian state."
Minister Itamar Ben Gvir echoed the concerns of other Cabinet members, saying that despite significant achievements in the fight against Hamas, the organization has not been fully destroyed.
“We have done great things, like eliminating tens of thousands of terrorists, but we still have not completely destroyed Hamas. We must dismantle and demilitarize it. Enough with the naïveté of Kushner and Witkoff. If the Rafah crossing opens, it will be a major mistake and send a very dangerous message!" Ben Gvir said.
At the conclusion of the Security Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the Rafah crossing will open only after the full completion of Operation Brave Heart, led by the IDF to locate and recover the body of fallen hostage Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili.
According to the PMO, "As part of President Trump’s 20-point plan, Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism."
"The reopening of the crossing is contingent on the return of all living hostages and a 100% effort by Hamas to locate and return all deceased hostages," it added.
The statement clarified that the actual return of the body is not a prerequisite for opening the crossing. Instead, the crossing may be opened once all efforts to recover the body have been exhausted. In other words, if it is determined that the operation has exhausted all available intelligence and operational options, the crossing may be approved for opening, even if Gvili has not yet been returned, in accordance with agreements made with the United States.
"The IDF is currently conducting a focused operation to exhaust all intelligence gathered in the effort to locate and return the fallen hostage, Master-Sgt. Ran Gvili, of blessed memory. Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed upon with the US, Israel will open the Rafah crossing," said the PMO statement.
"The State of Israel is committed to the return of Israeli hero Master-Sgt. Ran Gvili and will spare no effort to bring him home for a proper Jewish burial," it concluded.
The IDF’s operation is taking place in the cemetery area of the Daraj-Tuffah neighborhood in northern Gaza, based on updated intelligence recently obtained through covert operations. Forces are using specialized identification tools, including dental teams equipped with mobile X-ray devices.