Israel announced it will open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt soon. This will allow Palestinians to leave Gaza. Israeli military body Cogat said exits will be "facilitated through co-ordination with Egypt, following security approval by Israel and under the supervision of the European Union mission". This will be like the mechanism used during the January ceasefire. An Israeli security official called it "an expression of Israel's support for the current ceasefire with Hamas," which began seven weeks ago. However, Egypt denied coordinating with Israel to reopen the crossing. The State Information Service quoted an Egyptian source saying that if the crossing opens, it will be in both directions, following US President Donald Trump's plan. Trump's Gaza peace plan says the Rafah crossing should open both ways under the January ceasefire rules. The Rafah crossing has been mostly closed since May 2024, when Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side. It was the main exit for Palestinians and an entry point for aid before. The World Health Organization says 16,500 severely ill or injured Palestinians need urgent medical evacuation abroad. Since the ceasefire began, only 235 patients, mostly children, were evacuated through Israeli crossings. Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that Palestinian Authority forces will help operate the Rafah crossing alongside the EU Border Assistance Mission. Palestinian representatives helped during the last ceasefire but avoided wearing PA insignia due to Israeli sensitivities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied any role for the PA in Gaza's future governance. Haaretz also said Netanyahu blocked the Rafah reopening because Israel waits for the return of bodies of hostages held by Hamas. Under the ceasefire, Hamas agreed to return 20 living Israeli hostages and 28 dead hostages within 72 hours. All living hostages were released on 13 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 Gaza detainees. So far, bodies of 23 dead Israeli and 3 foreign hostages have been returned. Israel gave back 345 Palestinian bodies killed in the war. Two dead hostages remain: Israeli Ran Gvili, 24, and Thai Suthisak Rintalak, 43. Israeli tests found recently handed remains were not theirs. On Wednesday, Palestinian Islamic Jihad said it recovered a hostage's body in northern Gaza to be handed to Israel via the Red Cross. The two dead hostages were among 251 abducted by Hamas on 7 October 2023, when 1,200 others were killed. Israel's military campaign in Gaza since then has killed over 70,100 people, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.