Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to open next week: Palestinian official

US-backed technocrat leader Ali Shaath made the announcement as President Trump launched his ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza.Published On 22 Jan 2026Gaza’s ‍border crossing ‍with Egypt will reopen next week, the Palestinian technocrat leader backed by Washington to administer ⁠the enclave has announced, after being almost completely shut during Israel’s genocidal war.Ali Shaath made the ​announcement on Thursday by videolink during an event hosted by United States President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum ‍in Davos, Switzerland.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘The end of the world as we know it’: Is the rules-based order finished?list 2 of 3Qatar, Saudi Arabia among nine countries joining Trump’s ‘board of peace’list 3 of 3Israeli minister approves gun licences for 18 illegal West Bank settlementsend of list“I am pleased to ​announce the Rafah crossing will ‌open next week in both directions. For Palestinians in Gaza, Rafah is more than a gate. It is a lifeline and ‌symbol of opportunity,” Shaath said.“Opening Rafah signals that Gaza is no longer ‌closed to the future and to ⁠the war,” he added.There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has controlled the Rafah crossing since 2024. Since the October 10 ceasefire took effect under Trump’s plan, Israeli authorities have stalled on reopening it to allow desperately needed aid to enter and people requiring medical treatment to leave.The ceasefire deal ‌left Israel in control of more than half of Gaza beyond what is known as the yellow line, including the area that abuts the border ‍crossing.If implemented, the reopening of the Rafah crossing would mark a shift from an earlier Israeli policy that stated the crossing would only open “exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt”.‘Path to true Palestinian self determination’The White House announced on Friday the 15 members of the all-Palestinian technocratic committee that will oversee the transition of power in Gaza. Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority (PA) deputy minister, was designated as the general commissioner of the body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).