by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israel, not the Palestinian Authority, will control the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the current four-day-old ceasefire with Hamas, the Associated Press reports.
Israel’s intention was announced Wednesday by the office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which denied earlier reports that the PA would be in charge of the crossing.
Having taken effect on Sunday, January 19, the ceasefire is set to last for six weeks. During this time, 33 hostages held by Hamas will be released at least three at a time every weekend. In exchange, Israel will release 737 Palestinian prisoners, including 110 who are serving life sentences for terrorism against Israel. A further 1,167 Palestinians detained by the IDF in Gaza are also set to be released in the first phase.
The IDF will withdraw into a buffer zone about 0.6 miles wide inside Gaza, along the border with Israel during the first phase.
Moreover, humanitarian aid for Gaza will be controlled by Israel, AP said. “Nearly 900 trucks of aid entered Gaza on the third day of the ceasefire Tuesday, the United Nations said. That’s significantly higher than the 600 trucks called for in the deal,” AP noted in its report.
The European Union has said in a statement that it will have monitors supervising the Rafah crossing, AP reports.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A Christian pastor detained in Nicaragua since July 2025 has been released from prison but placed under house arrest along with five other Christian believers, Worthy News established on Thursday.
An injured Christian pastor in eastern India says recalling Bible verses gave him strength to survive hours of brutal abuse by a Hindu mob that accused him of converting Hindus to Christianity.
U.S. forces carried out five sets of precision strikes against Islamic State targets across Syria between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the U.S. military’s U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday.
U.S. forces carried out five sets of precision strikes against Islamic State targets across Syria between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the U.S. military’s U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Feb. 5 that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, marking the first such swap in five months and the most tangible outcome yet from U.S.-brokered talks held in Abu Dhabi. The exchange followed multiple days of trilateral negotiations involving delegations from Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow.
The Supreme Court of the United States on Wednesday declined to take up a legal challenge to California’s newly drawn congressional map, allowing the state to proceed with district lines that effectively eliminate five Republican-held U.S. House seats.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has entered negotiations with the United States because it fears potential military action, as both sides prepare for high-stakes talks expected to take place in Oman. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Trump said Tehran “doesn’t want us to hit them,” adding that a U.S. naval fleet is in the region as pressure increases.