Nov 12, 2023 at 6:29 PM Update: 10 hours ago
Six people with Dutch nationality or residence status arrived in Egypt from Gaza via Rafah on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. This is the second group of compatriots who were able to leave the area in this way.
The evacuees were temporarily received at the border by Belgian representatives. Their tasks were then taken over by a team from the Dutch embassy in Cairo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
That team accompanies these people to the Egyptian capital. There, if desired, they can receive medical and psychosocial help from Ministry of Defense personnel.
The Dutch embassy will ensure that the six travel back to the Netherlands. It is still unclear when that will happen.
The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt was reopened on Sunday. Foreigners and injured Palestinians were able to cross the border for the first time since Friday.
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Evacuations through the Rafah crossing were halted for the third time due to problems transporting injured Palestinians from northern Gaza. According to medical personnel, convoys carrying wounded people were hit or targeted by air strikes.
Since November 1, hundreds of foreigners and their relatives have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip. Dozens of injured Palestinians have also been brought across the border in ambulances. They are being treated in Egyptian field hospitals set up in the north of Sinai. This would involve a total of about 2,700 people.
At least eighty trucks carrying aid were also reported to have headed for Gaza on Sunday.
First Dutch people have already crossed the border earlier
On November 2, the first group of Dutch people crossed the border at Rafah. They were received by a team from the embassy in Cairo and Foreign Affairs staff. They flew from Cairo to the Netherlands.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported last week that it was in contact with 22 Dutch nationals who are currently in the Gaza Strip. That is more than the ministry previously reported. The increase is “because new people have come into the picture”.
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First foreigners and injured people cross the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt
Image: AFP
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Israeli-Palestinian conflict
2023-11-12 17:29:00
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