The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt has opened to allow 'limited evacuation' of wounded Palestinians and hundreds of foreign passport-holders out of strife-torn Gaza, for the first time since the conflict began. Foreign media agencies reported that scores of people started moving through the crossing into the Egyptian side on Wednesday after Qatar intervened to mediate a deal between Israel, Egypt and Hamas.
The deal followed another night of bloodshed in Gaza as Israel pummeled the Hamas-controlled region with air strikes—killing about 50 people in a refugee camp. Israel has also started sending in troops to target militant hideouts, ahead of a full-scale ground invasion. On Wednesday, Palestinian telecom companies also reported a complete disruption of mobile and internet services in the enclave.
While the Rafah border crossing was opened a few times in October to allow the entry of 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid, this is the first time that people have been allowed to flee Gaza.
According to Reuters, up to 500 foreign passport-holders will pass through the crossing on Wednesday. About 200 people were waiting on the Palestinian side since morning amid uncertainty over how long the crossing will remain open. Over 80 badly injured Palestinians who need urgent medical care will also be evacuated. Multiple reports state that Egypt is building a hospital along the border. Passport holders from 44 countries, as well as 28 agencies, including UN bodies, live in the Gaza strip, Guardian stated in a report.
However, the deal does not include the release of over 200 hostages held by Hamas since they broke across the border to mount one of the biggest attacks against Israel on October 7. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also rejected global calls for a ceasefire or a 'humanitarian pause' in the fighting.