Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt is due to reopen next week in both directions, Gaza technocratic committee head Ali Shaath said virtually from Davos on Thursday, fulfilling a key unfilled element of the October ceasefire brokered under US auspices.

Israel has conditioned fuller use on the return of a remaining hostage and Hamas’s disarmament, signalling restrictions that would prioritise exits over entries. Medical sources on Saturday reported an Israeli drone strike that killed two children gathering firewood near Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, and another Palestinian killed by shelling south of Khan Younis.

Separately, winter conditions have claimed the lives of 10 children in Gaza this season, including infant Youssef Abu Hammad.

The reopening of Rafah remains contested between humanitarian access and security conditions tied to hostage negotiations.