Gaza's Rafah crossing to reopen Saturday: sources close to discussions
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Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt is to reopen Saturday following a fourth exchange of hostages and prisoners under a truce agreement, a Hamas official and a source with knowledge of discussions told AFP.
The Rafah crossing was a vital entry point for humanitarian aid to enter into Gaza before the Israeli military seized the Palestinian side of it in May.
Since then the gateway has been closed, drawing repeated condemnation from Egypt and other countries as well as from aid organisations.
"The mediators informed Hamas of Israel's approval to open Rafah crossing tomorrow, Saturday, after the completion of the fourth batch of prisoner exchange," the Hamas official said, with the source explaining evacuations of the injured would take place at the crossing "as per the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement".
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said in a statement that the first group of sick people will leave the territory for treatment in Egypt on Saturday.
Last Monday the European Union agreed to restart its monitoring mission at the Rafah crossing, with 18 EU and local personnel including a police security detachment from Italy, Spain and France.
"The mission was launched at the request of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with the full support of Egypt," the Italian government said in a statement which added the "primary objective is to coordinate and facilitate the daily transit of up to 300 wounded and sick".
Israel and Hamas are to carry out their latest hostage-prisoner swap on Saturday as part of the truce agreement which came into effect on 19 January between Israel and Hamas.
Militants in Gaza began releasing hostages since the ceasefire came into effect. So far 15 hostages have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The hostages to be freed on Saturday are Yarden Bibas, Keith Seigel, who also has US citizenship, and Ofer Kalderon, who also holds French nationality, according to an Israeli campaign group.
In exchange, Israel will free 90 prisoners, nine of whom are serving life sentences, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group said.