Tel aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced Saturday evening that the Rafah border crossing will remain closed 'until further notice,' in violation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

According to Anadolu Agency, in a statement posted on the US social media company X, the office mentioned that Netanyahu has directed the closure to continue 'until further notice.' The statement further noted that the opening of the crossing would depend on Hamas's actions regarding the return of deceased hostages and adherence to the agreed-upon framework.

The Rafah crossing was initially scheduled to reopen last Wednesday as part of the ceasefire agreement's first phase, which came into effect on October 10. However, earlier announcements from the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo indicated that the crossing would reopen on Monday to facilitate the return of Palestinians wishing to enter Gaza.

Since May 2024, the Israeli army has restricted Palestinian movement through the Rafah crossing, Gaza's sole non-Tel Aviv-controlled access point prior to the start of the Israeli conflict in October 2023. The embassy's statement emphasized that Palestinians in Egypt should register their details through an online application to coordinate their return, with further instructions to follow.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas released 20 living Israeli hostages and returned the remains of 11 more in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The agreement, brokered with a plan from US President Donald Trump, included the release of hostages and the reconstruction of Gaza with a new governing mechanism excluding Hamas.

Since the onset of the conflict in October 2023, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that 68,116 people have been killed and 170,200 injured.