Foreigners Begin Leaving Gaza to Egypt

Jerusalem, 1 November, 2023 (TPS) -- Individuals with foreign passports were allowed to leave Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing on Wednesday for the first time since Hamas’s surprise attack on southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7.

Egypt kept the border crossing closed, fearing a massive influx of fleeing Palestinians, although trucks carrying humanitarian aid have been allowed into Gaza.

Qatar, in coordination with the US, mediated an agreement between Egypt, Israel and Hamas to open the crossing. Around 400 foreign passport holders are expected to leave the Strip over the course of the day.

An additional 90 sick and wounded people will also be allowed to leave.

It wasn’t clear how long the crossing will remain open.

Rafah is the only border crossing out of Gaza controlled by Egypt, not Israel.

The crossing is not equipped to handle large numbers of commercial deliveries. Commercial deliveries to the Strip from Egypt are routed through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, which is adjacent to the Egypt-Gaza border.

The Kerem Shalom crossing is closed for security reasons.

Israel has launched air strikes and a ground offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas’s surprise attack on communities in southern Israel. At least 1,400 were killed and the number of hostages captive into Gaza stands at 240.