Shaath said during a televised speech, broadcast after the signing of the "Peace Council" charter, in the presence of US President Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos: "I am pleased to announce that the Rafah crossing will be opened next week," considering the crossing to be a "lifeline" for the residents of the Gaza Strip, and that its opening constitutes "a sign that Gaza is no longer closed to the future and the world."
Shaath addressed a message to the Palestinians in Gaza, praising their steadfastness over the past years, saying: "You have persevered and preserved your families and your land during lean years, and your legendary steadfastness has been the greatest thing you have done."
He added that Palestinians in Gaza look forward to a future "in which our children grow up without fear or anxiety, schools are open, and daily life regains its stability and security," stressing that the next stage requires concerted efforts, and that the residents of the sector "will not face this stage alone."
Shaath called on the international community to work with the Palestinians for the future of Gaza, stressing that a commitment to peace and rebuilding society will define the next phase.
In contrast, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Security Cabinet will discuss the issue of opening the Rafah border crossing early next week.
The Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation quoted an unnamed official in Netanyahu's office as saying that "strenuous efforts are being made to find the body of Ran Goili, the last Israeli captive in Gaza, after exhausting all available information," adding that the cabinet would discuss this issue along with the issue of opening the crossing
These statements represent a softening of the previous Israeli position, as Hebrew media quoted an Israeli official as saying that the reopening of the Rafah crossing was conditional on the return of Ghweili’s remains.
Earlier on Thursday, the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted an Israeli official as saying: "The Rafah crossing will not be opened until the body of Ran Gweili is returned from Gaza," in a direct response to Ali Shaath's statements regarding opening the crossing next week.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Tel Aviv Mike Huckabee predicted today that Israel would reopen the Rafah crossing "soon." Huckabee told the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation that "Israel will need to open the Rafah crossing soon, and this will happen soon."
Israel occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in May 2024, as part of the genocidal war it began on the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, which lasted two years.
Despite Israel's earlier announcement of reaching an understanding with Egypt to reopen the crossing for those wishing to leave Gaza, Cairo denied this, stressing the need to open the crossing in both directions and reiterating its categorical rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians.
On January 16, Shaath announced that the committee he heads had officially begun its work from the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in preparation for moving to the Gaza Strip to begin implementing an urgent relief plan, following a war of extermination that left more than 71,000 martyrs and 171,000 wounded Palestinians, most of them children and women, in addition to destruction that the United Nations estimated would cost about $70 billion to rebuild
