Gaza residents wait at the Rafah border checkpoint between the Palestinian Gaza Strip and Egypt on the 1st (local time). Egypt, Israel, and Hamas agreed to allow foreign nationals and seriously injured patients to travel outside the Gaza Strip.
The border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, which had been blocked since the war broke out between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip on the 7th of last month, was opened on a limited basis to foreigners and the seriously injured on the 1st (local time). Through this, Gaza residents were able to escape for the first time in 25 days after the start of the war.
On this day, Egypt allowed a total of 490 people to enter Egypt through the Rafah border checkpoint connecting Egypt and the Gaza Strip. AFP reported that “about 400 foreigners and dual nationals and 90 seriously injured people came to Egypt,” and that “the patients were sent to a nearby hospital by ambulance.” An Egyptian government official said, “(Excluding patients), most of those who came out of Gaza were women and children holding foreign passports.”
A serious humanitarian crisis has occurred in the Gaza Strip due to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip followed by bombings of Hamas facilities in civilian areas. According to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, about 8,700 people have died, and food, water, medicine, and fuel have all run out. Additionally, a large number of civilians from Gaza City, northern Gaza, the stronghold of Hamas, moved to the south, creating more than 1 million refugees.
However, Egypt and Israel, which border the Gaza Strip, have thoroughly blocked the border crossing of Gaza residents to prevent Hamas agents from escaping among civilians, along with concerns about a large-scale refugee crisis. In particular, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli recently expressed strong opposition to the request to ‘allow refugees from Gaza to enter the country on humanitarian grounds’, saying, “We will protect our territory and sovereignty at any cost.”
The British daily Financial Times (FT) and the Guardian reported that “there are signs of change as the stubborn stance of the two countries comes under criticism from the international community,” and that “Israel has even proposed to Egypt to accept refugees from the Gaza Strip.” did.
It is known that the list of those who passed through the Rafah checkpoint that day was negotiated directly between Egypt and Israel. The number of people leaving Gaza is likely to increase in the future. Egyptian local media quoted a source as saying, “Embassies of each country are taking over foreign nationals from the Gaza Strip at the border and moving them directly to Cairo and other places.” “On the first day, only about 500 people were allowed to cross the border, but the number may increase in the future.” “It was reported.
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2023-11-01 13:55:00
