00:00Israel announces plans to reopen the Rafah border crossing on Sunday,
00:05restoring limited travel between Gaza and Egypt after months of closure.
00:09Under the arrangement, only Gaza residents who left during the war are allowed to return from Egypt.
00:15Entry will require coordination with Egyptian authorities, along with prior Israeli security clearance.
00:22Rafah is Gaza's main gateway to the outside world, serving a population of more than 2 million people.
00:28Its prolonged closure has left residents with severely restricted access beyond the territory.
00:34Israeli forces took control of the crossing in May 2024, further tightening movement at the southern border.
00:41The reopening is a key condition in the first phase of a U.S.-backed initiative
00:45aimed at halting the fighting between Israel and Hamas following a cease-fire agreement reached in October.
00:52Israel had previously linked the move to the recovery of the body of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza,
00:57which it said was recovered earlier this week.
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