Hamas condemns Israel's continued closure of Rafah crossing as truce violation
14:16, 19/10/2025, SundayU: Update: 15:52, 19/10/2025, Sunday
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The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza remains closed to passenger movement.Hamas has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to keep the Rafah border crossing closed as a "blatant" violation of the ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian resistance movement accused Israel of repudiating commitments made to mediators and warned the closure prevents medical evacuations and humanitarian operations in Gaza.
Hamas has strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that the Rafah border crossing will remain closed indefinitely, characterizing the decision as a direct violation of the ceasefire agreement. In an official statement released Saturday, the Palestinian resistance movement described the continued closure as representing a "repudiation" of commitments previously made to international mediators involved in the truce negotiations.
Ceasefire terms breached
The Rafah crossing had been scheduled to reopen last Wednesday as stipulated in the initial phase of the ceasefire arrangement that took effect on October 10. Netanyahu's office announced earlier Saturday that the crossing would remain shut "until further notice," with reopening contingent upon Hamas's implementation of hostage return provisions. The crossing has remained under Israeli military control since May 2024, restricting Palestinian movement through what had previously been Gaza's sole border passage not directly controlled by Israeli authorities.
Humanitarian consequences
Hamas emphasized that the sustained closure creates severe humanitarian consequences, preventing the evacuation of wounded and sick individuals, restricting civilian movement, and blocking the entry of specialized equipment needed for search operations amid rubble. The group warned these limitations would consequently delay recovery and handover operations for the remaining Israeli hostages, directly impacting implementation of the exchange agreement.
Documented violations
The statement further referenced what it characterized as ongoing Israeli violations, noting 47 documented breaches that have resulted in 38 fatalities and 143 injuries since the ceasefire theoretically began. Hamas accused Netanyahu of "inventing false pretexts to obstruct implementation of the agreement" and urged international mediators and guarantor parties to apply pressure on Israel to immediately reopen the crossing and comply with all truce provisions.