Hamas official says no Gaza evacuations into Egypt
Israeli troops are pictured near the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip ahead of an operation in the north of the Palestinian enclave on November 8, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by Daphné LEMELIN / AFP)
Palestinian Territories — No wounded Palestinians or dual nationals were evacuated Wednesday from the Gaza Strip to Egypt via the Rafah crossing, a Palestinian official said.
The crossing point remained closed due to Israel’s refusal to approve the list of wounded who were to be evacuated, a Hamas official told AFP.
The war started over a month ago when Hamas militants crossed into Israel and killed about 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and seized 239 hostages, according to Israeli officials,
Aiming to destroy Hamas, Israel retaliated with a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip that, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian territory’s health ministry, has killed more than 10,500 people, also mostly civilians.
The Rafah terminal — which connects the bombarded Gaza Strip to Egypt — reopened on November 1 to allow the evacuation of foreigners and dual nationals stranded in the small Palestinian territory.
There was then a two-day closure after deadly Israeli strikes hit ambulances headed for the border, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent and the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel’s military said it had targeted an ambulance used by a “Hamas terrorist cell.”
An AFP journalist at the Rafah crossing point Wednesday saw a large crowd of people hoping to cross into Egypt during the day.
Mazen Danaf, who holds a German passport, told AFP that the situation in Gaza is “horrible.”
“There is no electricity, no water, no fuel, the hospitals are crowded,” he said.
Egypt has said it would help evacuate around 7,000 foreigners through the crossing.
