Stranded at Rafah: Palestinian Families Trapped Between War and Closure
As the Rafah crossing reopens then shuts again, thousands of Palestinians face medical limbo, family separation, and a fortified border that rations survival.
Only 12 Palestinians crossed into Gaza on the first day the Rafah border reopened in February 2026, ending nearly two years of closure – a fraction of the 50 permitted daily under ceasefire terms.
The reopening lasted one month. On 1 March, Al Jazeera reported Israel closed the crossing again following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Middle East Eye confirmed the closure included all crossings into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank “until further notice.” The window shut on thousands still waiting to leave for medical treatment or return to reunite with family.
The Human Cost of Limited Passage
According to CNN, Iman Rashwan, 30, waited from 8 a.m. on 3 February for her mother and sister to return from Egypt. They had left in March 2025 after her brother was killed. Her mother, who suffered a heart condition worsened by grief, required medical evacuation. When the UN-marked bus finally arrived at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after nightfall, Rashwan collapsed in her wheelchair-bound mother’s arms.
The return itself was an ordeal. Palestinians who crossed during the reopening’s first days told CNN they reached the Egyptian side at 3 a.m. but did not enter Gaza until 11:30 p.m. – over 20 hours for a journey of a few hundred metres. They passed through three security checkpoints: Egyptian forces, the European Union Border Assistance Mission alongside Palestinian forces, and finally Israeli military screening inside Gaza.
“The Israelis made everything difficult today. They searched us and they interrogated us about everything – about migration from Gaza, about Hamas, about the 7th of October, and every topic you can imagine.”
– Um Omar, Palestinian returnee, to CNN
Multiple returnees described to Al Jazeera being handcuffed, blindfolded, and detained for hours. Rotana al-Raqab, 31, left Gaza in March 2025 with her mother for urgent heart surgery, leaving behind six children. Israeli officers reportedly offered her funds and visas to resettle in a third country rather than return home. She refused. On 5 February, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported a “consistent pattern of ill-treatment, abuse and humiliation by Israeli military forces” at the crossing.
Medical Limbo and Mounting Deaths
The medical crisis predated the closure. CNN reported that 20,000 people in Gaza have completed medical referrals and are awaiting permission to travel abroad for treatment, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Since the war began, approximately 1,000 Palestinians have died while waiting for medical evacuation approval, according to the ministry and the World Health Organization.
Over the first four days of the crossing’s February reopening, according to Military.com, only 36 Palestinians requiring medical care were allowed to leave for Egypt, plus 62 companions – far below the 150 departures per day permitted under ceasefire agreements. By 8 February, Prism Reports confirmed 145 patients and companions had departed, while just 98 stranded Palestinians were allowed to return.
The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is the territory’s only exit point not directly controlled by Israel. Before the war, it served as the main passage for people and goods. Israel seized control of the Gaza side in May 2024, closing the crossing except for occasional medical evacuations. The February 2026 reopening was part of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement, but Israeli security restrictions limited its function from the outset.
Amjad Abu Jedian, injured during the war, was scheduled to leave on the first day the crossing reopened for medical treatment. Only five patients were allowed to travel that day, his mother Raja Abu Jedian told Military.com. He remained in Gaza, waiting.
Family Separation and Conditional Return
For Palestinians outside Gaza, the reopening offered the first chance to return home in nearly two years. Raghad Al-Kahlout left Gaza for Qatar on 25 February 2024, accompanying two young cousins – the sole survivors of their family – who suffered severe burns and fractures requiring treatment unavailable in Gaza. “My departure wasn’t an escape. It was an attempt to save two children,” she told Prism Reports. While abroad, multiple family members were killed, including her father.
The return process was tightly controlled. CNN reported that returning Palestinians could bring only one bag of belongings and faced limitations on cash. Some were turned back despite prior approval from Israeli and Egyptian authorities. On the first two days, most Palestinians medically evacuated to Egypt during the war and cleared to return were barred from re-entering.
The Infrastructure of Control
The partial reopening revealed the machinery of control. Israeli and Egyptian authorities vet individuals for exit and entry, with European Union border patrol agents supervising operations. But Christian Science Monitor reported Palestinians returning from Egypt were restricted to one bag of clothing and the equivalent of $640 under rules placed on the crossing.
Those wishing to return must obtain prior security approval from Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service, with Egypt submitting name lists for clearance. The process is opaque. According to CNN, it was not immediately clear why the numbers allowed through changed each day – 12 on the first day, 40 on the second, then fluctuating without explanation.
- Rafah reopened 2 February for pedestrians only after 21 months of closure, then shut again 1 March.
- 20,000 Palestinians hold completed medical referrals but cannot access treatment abroad.
- Approximately 1,000 Palestinians died waiting for medical evacuation approval since October 2023.
- Returnees faced 20-hour crossing times, three security screenings, and reported interrogation and mistreatment.
- Daily crossing quotas of 50 in each direction were never met; actual numbers ranged from 12 to 40.
The New Arab reported that since the February reopening, only 1,148 out of 3,400 patients promised passage were able to leave – barely one-third – according to Gaza’s government media office. Between 16,500 and 35,000 individuals, including patients and wounded civilians, urgently need medical care abroad, according to Palestinian and international organizations.
What to Watch
The crossing’s status remains “until further notice.” On 3 March, RTE confirmed Israel agreed to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing for “gradual entry of humanitarian aid” but no Palestinians were allowed through. The European Union Border Assistance Mission has suspended activities pending security updates.
Medical cases continue to deteriorate. Reem Al-Ali, 22, diagnosed with leukaemia two years ago, was scheduled to travel for chemotherapy when the closure took effect. “Every time I think about the closed crossing, I feel suffocated,” she told The New Arab. Nine-year-old Omar Abu Aisha, who suffers from a congenital heart defect, remains in Gaza without access to surgery.
The timeline for reopening depends on Israeli security assessments tied to regional conflict with Iran. For the 20,000 Palestinians holding medical referrals, each day of closure narrows the window for treatment. For families separated across the border, the arithmetic is simpler: at 50 returnees per day, it would take 400 days to clear the backlog – if the crossing stayed open.