Ramzi Mahmud
05 February 2026•Update: 05 February 2026
GAZA CITY, Palestine
A total of 25 Palestinians returned to the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Thursday, while 46 others, including patients, departed through the Rafah border crossing, medical sources said.
The sources told Anadolu that women and children were among the returnees at Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where entry procedures were finalized and their health conditions assessed.
According to an Anadolu reporter, most of those returning were patients and wounded individuals who had received medical treatment in Egypt.
Meanwhile, 46 Palestinians left the Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening, including 15 patients and 31 companions, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Although Israeli and Egyptian media had previously reported that up to 50 Palestinians would be allowed to cross daily in each direction, the numbers have fallen far short.
Since the terminal was opened on Monday, only limited groups have crossed in both directions.
Under Israeli conditions, only Palestinians who left Gaza after the outbreak of the war are permitted to return, following intensive security screening.
Testimonies from returnees, including elderly people and children, showed that they were subjected to harassment and harsh Israeli military interrogation at the crossing.
Israel was supposed to reopen the crossing during the first phase of a ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on October 10, 2025, but it backed down on its commitment.
The ceasefire ended an Israeli offensive that began in October 2023 and lasted two years, killing nearly 72,000 Palestinians and wounding over 171,000 others, while destroying about 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure. Israel also continues to carry out attacks in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
*Writing by Serdar Dincel
