Three women from the first group of Palestinians to enter Gaza through the newly reopened Rafah crossing told The Associated Press that Israeli troops blindfolded, handcuffed and interrogated them for hours after they crossed.

Gaza's Rafah border, the only crossing connecting the besieged Palestinian enclave with Egypt, reopened on Monday for a limited number of travellers on foot after being sealed shut by Israel for nearly a year.

Israel fully reopened the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Monday for people on foot, a day after rolling out a limited, one-day pilot on Sunday to address potential logistical issues. Ali Shaath,

Yoaz Hendel warned during an interview with The Jerusalem Post that Israel was creating an “open border” for Hamas to rebuild after the war by reopening Gaza’s Rafah Border Crossing.

Sick and wounded patients in Gaza desperate for medical evacuation await the promised reopening of the enclave's Rafah border crossing with Egypt. But even when it opens, the wait will continue for many.