EUBAM Rafah, the European Union's civilian Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point, was redeployed on Sunday, and the delegation of the European Union to Egypt announced.
European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah) is a non-executive, non-armed civilian Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) Mission, according to their website.
This move came at the request of both Israeli and Palestinian counterparts with mediation from Egypt, according to a statement. This also aligned with the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA), an agreement that would allow for the Rafah crossing to open sporadically based on the presence of the Palestinian Authority.
In this mission, a specialized team would facilitate the opening of the Rafah Crossing Point to allow for those in need of medical assistance to transfer out of Gaza. EUBAM Rafah team members would monitor the transfers, the mission stated.
Who will be involved in crossing monitoring?
Along with EUBAM, the crossing will be overseen by Gazan Palestinians who are unaffiliated with Hamas. These Palestinians are believed to be connected with the Palestinian Authority and have received approval from Israel, Israeli public broadcaster KAN cited Gazan sources as saying.
Both parties allegedly agreed to an initial period of deployment that would continue until the end of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
The initial opening was intended to be on Sunday, day 14 of the hostage-ceasefire deal. However, due to the release of hostages on Thursday, which was not in the original agreement, the opening was rescheduled for Friday.
Among those who will leave Gaza through the Rafah Crossing for medical treatment abroad are members of Hamas’s military wing, KAN reported. The wounded will also reportedly be permitted to return safely to Gaza upon recovery.