By Dominick Skinner | 18 October 2025
Israel has announced that the Rafah Crossing, Gaza’s only exit not controlled by Israel, will remain closed “until further notice,” in yet another clear violation of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt and Qatar. The move directly contradicts the terms of the truce, which guaranteed humanitarian access through Rafah as one of its key provisions.
According to Reuters, Israel claims the crossing will only reopen once Hamas “fulfils its obligations,” including the return of the remains of Israeli hostages. This justification was not part of the ceasefire terms and has been introduced retroactively, turning the humanitarian corridor into a political bargaining chip. This is commonplace when it comes to Israel, as increased international ignorance of breaches gives them the confidence to continue breaking their end of the ceasefire, while the world’s media largely bites the bait of their propaganda.
The Rafah Crossing serves as Gaza’s lifeline. It’s where the sick are evacuated, where aid convoys enter, and where limited goods have passed since Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s main commercial crossings, with Rafah closed, over two million civilians are once again sealed off from the outside world, a textbook case of collective punishment under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Egyptian officials were quick to distance themselves from Israel’s decision, stating that reopening Rafah was a non-negotiable condition of the ceasefire and warning that further unilateral action would undermine Egypt’s role as mediator. International agencies have also condemned the move, with the UN and Red Crescent reporting that hundreds of medical evacuees are now stranded on both sides of the border, unable to move.
Israel’s decision to close Rafah continues on from earlier breaches of the truce, including airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Yunis last week. Each violation has been met with near silence from major Western outlets, who continue to repeat vague Israeli claims that Hamas have somehow broken the ceasefire. This is at odds with the fact that Israel have broken the ceasefire at least 47 times so far, killing 38 people.
Netanyahu’s regime seems increasingly unwilling to allow Hamas to have the room to return the remaining hostages’ bodies, despite the consistent claims that it is Hamas who doesn’t want to do so. Hamas have returned more bodies everyday since the agreement was signed, however.
For the record, there is no ceasefire when every crossing is closed, every promise broken, and aid promises have not been met. The truth on the ground remains that Israel are willing to break the ceasefire on every turn, and the media are happy to shield them from scrutiny when they do.
With some exceptions, notably the Guardian in the UK, most “western“ journalists who cover this topic hand Israel the plausible deniability that they need. For the people of Gaza, we must stop doing so, for this ceasefire to hold, Israel must be held to account.