Crossing Rafah: Moments of waiting and movement

Crossing Rafah: Moments of waiting and movement
Palestinians cross through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Gaza into Israel on their way out of the Gaza Strip February 2, 2026.
Reuters

Limited crossings took place at Rafah on Monday, as patients and families moved through the gates for the first time in months. Photographers captured the tension, relief, and emotional toll of separation at a crossing long marked by both isolation and hope.

Palestinians, including patients and the war-wounded, move through Kerem Shalom and toward the Rafah crossing on Monday, as Israel reopened the Egypt–Gaza gateway for limited foot passage. For some, it marked a route out for treatment; for others, the first chance to return home since the war began.

Palestinian patients receive treatment at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital as others in Nuseirat wait for a rare chance to leave Gaza for medical care through the Rafah crossing.

In Cairo, Palestinians stranded outside Gaza continue to wait for the Rafah crossing to reopen for returns. Many spend their days scrolling through photos and messages from family members they have not seen in months. The images capture the quiet strain of separation felt across countless households.

As a small number of families crossed on Monday, the moment underscored both the urgency of medical evacuations and the long road ahead for those still stranded on either side of the border.

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