Foreigners and wounded Palestinians allowed to leave the Gaza Strip

Wounded Palestinians and hundreds of foreign nationals have started crossing the border from Gaza to Egypt, according to official sources and Egyptian media. This marks the first sanctioned exit from the besieged enclave in weeks.

Egypt is receiving 81 seriously injured Palestinians. Dozens have already arrived and are undergoing treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

Over 360 foreign nationals have also left Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, said an Egyptian government representative on condition of anonymity, as they are not authorized to speak to the media.

The official stated that dozens of people are currently en route to Cairo, where some will board flights back to their home countries. Among them are citizens of Austria, the United Kingdom, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Japan.

President Joe Biden of the United States stated that the opening of Rafah had occurred after "intensive and urgent American diplomacy with our partners in the region," and approximately 1,000 more foreign nationals could leave soon.

Some American Palestinians who were stranded in Gaza received notifications from the U.S. State Department that "departure from Gaza may begin this week." They were advised to check their email for specific instructions before heading to the Rafah border crossing.

Approximately 400 American citizens, along with their family members, totaling only about 1,000 individuals, are stranded in Gaza and are attempting to leave, as stated by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.

Evacuation of Ukrainians from the Gaza Strip

According to Oleg Nikolenko, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine and other relevant agencies have already begun the preparatory phase of evacuating Ukrainians through the Rafah border crossing to Egypt. A total of 358 individuals, primarily women and children, are on the list for departure.