Netanyahu Keeps Rafah Crossing Closed to Pressure Hamas Over Hostage Bodies Amid Gaza Siege

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt to stay closed “until further notice.”

“The article outlines the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas amid ongoing political and humanitarian challenges”

The Guardian

He explicitly tied any reopening to the group controlling Gaza handing over the remains of all dead Israeli hostages.

The Guardian

This directly contradicts the Palestinian embassy in Egypt, which announced plans to reopen the crossing for people returning to Gaza.

The closure blocks a critical lifeline for medical travel and family reunification under Israel’s siege.

The group controlling Gaza condemns the closure as a ceasefire violation and says it slows the handover of remains by preventing specialized forensic teams and equipment from entering Gaza.

Israel has controlled the Gaza side of Rafah since May 2024 and is using the crossing as leverage in the ceasefire’s hostage-remains track.

Despite this, Rafah remains essential for civilians trapped by the war and blockade.

The closure is part of Netanyahu’s pressure campaign over the remains track.

Reports diverge on how many bodies Hamas has returned.

The Indian Express

Several outlets report 12 of 28 dead hostages returned, with the Red Cross transferring two new coffins.

Other sources report only 10 returned or 11 with one identity disputed.

In parallel, Israel has been sending back Palestinian bodies.

Some sources detail a 15-to-1 exchange ratio and note 135 Palestinian bodies have been returned so far.

The numbers matter because Israel is conditioning civilian movement through Rafah on Hamas producing all remaining hostages’ bodies.

Hamas says destruction and unexploded ordnance make recovery difficult.

Closing Rafah undercuts humanitarian work and risks more deaths.

“The article highlights ongoing efforts to restore essential services and provide humanitarian aid in Gaza following recent conflict”

The Straits Times

West Asian outlets report the closure blocks specialized forensic teams and equipment needed to recover remains.

Western and local outlets document Israeli fire killing civilians during the ceasefire, including nine Palestinians from the Chaabane/Shaaban family.

The Straits Times describes Israeli tank shells hitting a bus and killing nine Palestinians.

Other reporting from the same outlet quotes the military saying it fired on a vehicle near a ceasefire “yellow line,” with no casualties in that specific incident.

Local and Western mainstream sources also report Israeli forces shot at a vehicle and killed nine people, including women and children.

These killings and the closure further impede the handover of bodies and deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

Aid data and narratives also diverge.

Western mainstream and local outlets report that the ceasefire framework envisioned roughly 600 trucks per day, but only about 339 were offloaded.

U.S. News & World Report

Israel claims higher crossings and says Hamas steals aid—claims UN agencies dispute.

The Straits Times adds that on one day nearly 950 aid and commercial trucks entered Gaza from Israel via Israeli-controlled checkpoints, bolstering Israel’s claim of throughput but not addressing bottlenecks inside Gaza or Rafah’s closure.

West Asian and Western alternative coverage amplify calls to reopen Rafah to speed deliveries amid famine declarations and malnutrition deaths.

Israeli authorities keep the gate shut as leverage over remains.

Washington is applying pressure while also warning Hamas.

“A senior Hamas official accused Israel of violating the ceasefire by killing at least 24 people since Friday and has reported these violations to mediators”

South China Morning Post

AP News and i24NEWS report the U.S. State Department warned of credible intelligence that Hamas might attack Palestinian civilians in Gaza—an explicit call for Hamas to uphold the ceasefire.

South China Morning Post

Western mainstream outlets report Donald Trump warned he may support Israel resuming war if Hamas does not return all remains.

At the same time, West Asian outlets and local reporting highlight how the Rafah closure blocks forensic teams and traps civilians needing medical care.

Turkey deployed rescue teams at the border to help retrieve bodies.

Hostage families’ forums back a hard line on Rafah, while others demand the government prioritize humanitarian access.

The mix of threats and leverage underscores how Netanyahu is using the gate to squeeze Hamas over bodies during a siege that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.