Egypt Opens Rafah Border to Injured Palestinians and Foreign Nationals

The Rafah border crossing, which had been closed for over three weeks since the onslaught of the conflict, reopened on Wednesday, 1 November, to evacuate dozens of injured Palestinians in need of medical care and hundreds of foreign passport holders.

The Gaza Borders and Crossings Authority announced that over 500 foreign nationals and individuals holding dual citizenship will be permitted to depart from the region.

As previously mentioned, injured Palestinians requiring medical care in Egypt will also be granted permission to leave the enclave.

Television crews at the Gaza border captured live images of numerous individuals and vehicles making their way through the gates toward the Egyptian side of the border, passing through the damaged terminal area. Some of those crossing were seen carrying their belongings.

Aid convoys delivering urgently needed supplies to Gaza have been gradually arriving via the Rafah crossing since the previous month. However, it was only on Wednesday, 1 November, that individuals were granted permission to pass through this crossing.

Foreign governments have identified passport holders from 44 different countries and 28 agencies, including UN bodies, residing in the Gaza Strip. The region, home to 2.4 million people, has endured over three weeks of continuous Israeli airstrikes in response to the Hamas attacks that began on October 7.

On the Egyptian side, ambulances were stationed, ready to transport the injured and the ill to medical facilities into Egypt.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that, among those departing for treatment in Egyptian hospitals, are over 15,000 individuals who have been injured in Israeli airstrikes. These strikes have resulted in the loss of more than 8,500 lives, with two-thirds of the casualties being women and children.

The reopening of the border crossing coincided with reports of another widespread internet and phone service outage in Gaza on Wednesday. This occurred shortly after Israeli airstrikes leveled apartment buildings near Gaza City,amid ground battles between Israeli troops and Hamas militants within the besieged area.

The Palestinian telecoms company Paltel reported a “complete disruption” of internet and mobile phone services in Gaza. This marked the second time in five days that residents were largely cut off from the outside world, with communications also going down over the weekend when Israeli troops entered Gaza in larger numbers.

Tzachi Hanegbi, the Israeli National Security Council Chief, informed reporters that Israel was in discussions with Egypt regarding the injured individuals. However, he emphasized that there remained a disagreement concerning aid deliveries. Egypt is inclined to allow more trucks to enter Gaza, while Israel maintains that it can only inspect a limited number of vehicles each day.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu said he “welcomes” the transport of the severely injured individuals from Gaza to Egypt.

Ghebreyesus stated in a post on social media: “We have been working with Egypt’s Health Ministry on planning for medical evacuations and will continue to support.”

Over 200 trucks carrying crucial humanitarian aid have entered Gaza from Egypt.

He adds: “We need an immediate acceleration in the flow of medical aid permitted into Gaza. Hospitals must be protected from bombardment and military use.”

The Conflict So Far

After a surprise attack conducted on 7 October by Hamas on a number of southern Israeli towns which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,405 people and more than 220 being taken hostage by Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory bombing campaign against what it describes as ‘terrorist targets’ in the Gaza Strip.

At least 8,005 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip — including 3,324 children — and 20,242 others injured. Meanwhile over 114 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and around 2,000 have been injured.

The priority of the Egyptian government since the beginning of the conflict has been deescalation and the securing of a path for aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing. Israel bombed the crossing at least six times, and 80 aid trucks have crossed to Gaza so far, which UN officials warn is insufficient amid dire humanitarian conditions.

Most Western countries, with the United States at the forefront, have expressed unconditional support for Israel, despite the steadily rising death toll in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly has issued a resolution calling for a ceasefire.