Ambulances have successfully transported 76 seriously injured Palestinians from Gaza into Egypt, marking the first time this has happened since the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel began. Additionally, a group of 335 foreign passport holders, including British nationals, were permitted to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing. The borders of Gaza have been closed since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7th. It is expected that Rafah will continue to open for limited periods of time in order to facilitate the departure of foreign nationals and injured civilians. The lists of individuals allowed to cross will be determined through agreements between Egypt and Israel, with relevant embassies being informed in advance. According to Western officials, there are approximately 7,000 dual nationals in Gaza.
US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday evening that thanks to “concerted American leadership,” safe evacuation has begun for wounded Palestinians and foreign nationals. Biden noted that American citizens were part of the first group to exit, estimated to be more than 1,000 individuals, and that the process would continue over the next few days. He emphasized the ongoing efforts to safely evacuate Americans from Gaza.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly expressed the importance of the first group of British nationals leaving the territory, calling it a significant first step. He assured that the UK government is working closely with Egyptian and Israeli authorities to ensure the crossing remains open for the safe evacuation of all British nationals in the coming days.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been ongoing for over three weeks, with Israel launching airstrikes and recently sending ground forces in response to a cross-border assault by Hamas gunmen. The assault resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people and the taking of 240 hostages. Gaza’s health ministry reports that over 8,700 people have been killed since the start of the conflict, while the UN warns of dangerously low supplies of food, water, fuel, and medicine due to Israel’s blockade.
Ambulances were observed rushing to Rafah on Wednesday morning, transporting at least 76 injured individuals, including children, to Egypt. After medical assessments, they were transported to various hospitals in Egypt for further evaluation and potential relocation. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, commended Egypt’s decision to accept medical evacuations but stressed the urgent need for increased medical aid and protection of hospitals from bombardment.
In addition to the medical evacuations, 335 foreign and dual nationals crossed the border at Rafah by Wednesday evening. Among them were British, Austrian, French, Italian, and American citizens. Médecins Sans Frontières reported that 22 of its international staff members had successfully crossed the border. Egyptian television broadcasted footage of the first group disembarking from a coach, including many women and young children.
Individuals awaiting evacuation from Gaza, including British nationals like Mohammed Ghalayini, expressed their fear and urgency to leave due to the ongoing conflict. Ghalayini described the struggle to reach the border due to limited fuel supplies, witnessing people arriving at the border on donkey carts with their luggage. Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf’s parents-in-law are also among the British nationals hoping to cross the border in the days to come.
On Wednesday, another Israeli airstrike destroyed residential buildings in Jabalia, causing further casualties and devastation. The Hamas-run health ministry reported dozens of people killed or wounded in the attack. The Israeli Defense Forces defended their actions, claiming to have eliminated Hamas terrorists and emphasizing Hamas’s deliberate placement of their infrastructure in civilian areas. Amidst the escalating violence, the UN human rights office expressed concern over potential disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes. UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s spokesman condemned the violence and reminded all parties to abide by international humanitarian law.
