The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. (Photo: VOV)
Movement in and out of Gaza through Rafah “will be permitted in coordination with Egypt, following prior security clearance of individuals by Israel, and under the supervision of the European Union mission,” the ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said in a statement.

However, only Palestinians who left Gaza during the conflict will be permitted to return from Egypt, according to the statement. All Palestinians seeking to enter or exit Gaza must first be approved by Egyptian authorities, who will then submit the list of names to Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency for review.

For those travelling from Gaza into Egypt, Israel will use facial recognition technology to verify that individuals match the approved list before allowing them to cross.

Lebanese media reported on Friday that Israeli fighter jets carried out heavy air strikes on villages in the Zahrani area, as well as locations near the towns of Zefta and Kafra in southern Lebanon. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Following the strikes, the Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon.