After jammed for almost months in war-hit Gaza, scores
of foreign passport holders started leaving the conflicted place on November 1 after
Egypt opened the Rafah crossing for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war
began on October 7, reported AFP.
It was unclear how many people managed to leave via
Rafah on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, but live video clips from the scene
showed crowds of people entering the Palestinian side of the terminal.
Although 200 plus trucks of desperately-needed aid
have crossed into Gaza from Egypt, no people have been permitted to flee the
battered enclave, with some 400 foreigners and dual nationals expected to make
the crossing on Wednesday.
Foreign governments say there are passport holders
from 44 countries, as well as 28 agencies, including UN bodies, living in the
Gaza Strip where 2.4 million people have endured over three weeks of
unrelenting Israeli bombardment in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks.
The tiny coastal territory has suffered
“catastrophic” scarcities of food, water and electricity following an
almost total Israeli blockade in response to the attacks, the worst in Israel’s
history, that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza,
more than 8,500 people have been killed in the bombardments, two-thirds of them
women and children.
Separately, Egypt said a first group of 81 extremely
sick or injured Palestinians would be allowed in to Egypt for medical treatment
on Wednesday, with television channels close to the Egyptian intelligence
services broadcasting live images of a fleet of ambulances entering the
terminal.
Palestinian sources said they expected 88 people to be
taken across for treatment in Egyptian hospitals.
The decision to open the crossing came hours after an
Israeli strike on the largest refugee camp in Gaza, where the health ministry
said at least 50 people were killed.
Egypt on Tuesday condemned the strike on Jabalia camp
“in the strongest terms”, warning against “the consequences of
the continuation of these indiscriminate attacks that target defenceless
civilians” in a Foreign Ministry statement.
NE Watch Desk With AFP Inputs
