Several foreign passport holders on Wednesday entered the Rafah border crossing in Egypt from the conflict-torn Gaza Strip, the first time foreigners have been allowed to do so since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out three weeks ago.
The foreign passport holders were seen dragging suitcases and carrying backpacks, according to AP. A few cars drove through the gates as well, some with luggage pouring out of their open trunks.
Hundreds had gathered at the Rafah crossing in recent weeks, but they have not been allowed to cross over into Egypt due to certain differences between Cairo, Israel and Hamas. Many people are waiting at the border crossing after Israeli forces ordered an evacuation for Palestinians.
According to Egyptian state-run media, more than 80 wounded Palestinians would be brought from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday for medical treatment. Ambulances were seen entering the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side, and a field hospital was set up in the nearby town of Sheikh Zuweid.
The Palestinian crossing authority said more than 400 foreign passport holders would be permitted to leave Gaza on Wednesday. Egypt had earlier pushed back against proposals to allow fleeing Palestinians to cross from Rafah, fearing that Israel would not allow them to return to Gaza. It also created blast walls to prevent incursions.
Gaza suffers communication blackout
As the war is escalating day by day with Israel ramping up airstrikes and ground attacks, Gaza suffered another communication blackout on Wednesday. Attempts to reach Gaza residents by phone were unsuccessful on early Wednesday.
Furthermore, Israeli airstrikes struck the Jabaliya refugee camp, which killed a top Hamas commander, Ibrahim Biari, along with dozens of civilians. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates each issued statements denouncing the strikes on the Jabaliya camp.
Israel said the strike, which targeted senior Hamas military leader Ibrahim Biari, destroyed a militant command centre and an underground tunnel network, and killed dozens of other fighters. Military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said Biari had also been a key planner of the October 7 attack, and that the apartment buildings collapsed only because the underground Hamas complex had been destroyed.
In recent days, Israeli troops have advanced toward the outskirts of Gaza City from the north and east. Israeli officials say Hamas' military infrastructure, including hundreds of kilometers of tunnels, is concentrated in the city, which was home to some 6,50,000 people before the war.
Israeli soldiers in Gaza
The IDF announced that nine more soldiers have been killed fighting Hamas militants in northern Gaza. Earlier, Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in fighting in northern Gaza, the first military deaths it reported since the ground offensive into the tiny Mediterranean territory accelerated late last week.
Some 800,000 Palestinians have reportedly fled to the south, but many have not, in part because they say nowhere is safe as Israeli airstrikes in the south have continued to cause civilian deaths.
Additionally, Bolivia’s government severed diplomatic relations with Israel on Tuesday, accusing it of carrying out “crimes against humanity” in Gaza, and Chile and Colombia recalled their ambassadors to Israel as they criticized the Israeli military offensive against Hamas terrorists.
More than 8,500 Palestinians have been killed in the war, mostly women and minors, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas' initial attack, also an unprecedented figure. Palestinian militants also abducted around 240 people during their incursion and have continued firing rockets into Israel.
(with inputs from AP)
