Gaza Strip evacuation: Rafah border crossing reopens for foreigners and wounded
Rafah border crossing reopens for foreigners and wounded from Gaza (Getty Images)
Rafah border crossing was reopened to allow foreign citizens and wounded Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip and enter Egypt, after it was closed over the weekend, according to CNN.
Rafah is the only border crossing in Gaza not controlled by Israel, which closed its checkpoints within the territory last month. Last week, a breakthrough was reached to allow foreign passport holders and a group of critically injured civilians to depart through Rafah.
However, the crossing point was temporarily closed over the weekend after an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance.
According to a CNN journalist, ambulances from the Egyptian Red Crescent had lined up near the border on Monday before the wounded Palestinians were allowed to cross, waiting to transport them to hospitals
IDF ground operation in Gaza
On October 7, Hamas militants launched a large-scale incursion into Israel. They killed and abducted both military and civilians. Following this, Israel declared launching operation Iron Swords and began regular shelling of targets in the Gaza Strip.
On October 27, the Israeli army started intensively attacking Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also announced the expanding of the ground operation.
On October 31, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the start of the third phase in the military operation against the Hamas group. It involves an expansion of the ground incursion into the Gaza Strip.
Today, the United Nations stated that no foreigner or Palestinian with dual citizenship was able to leave the Gaza Strip over the weekend. This happened after Hamas accused Israel of breaking the agreement that allowed foreigners to leave the besieged territory.
