Egypt to Evacuate 7,000 Foreigners and Dual Nationals

Update 7:

An Israeli airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp located in the middle of the Gaza Strip killed 29 people, reports WAFA, citing a correspondent on site. An additional 15 Palestinians were killed by a second strike.

Update 6:

The World Bank published a press release on 2 November warning of the risks the war on Gaza could have on global commodity markets.

“If the conflict escalates, policymakers in developing countries will need to take steps to manage a potential increase in headline inflation,” reads the statement, which also warned of rising oil costs.

Update 5:

Bahrain’s Council of Representatives announced the decision to recall its ambassador to Israel and sever all economic ties in response to the war on Gaza. The kingdom joins a growing list of states recalling their diplomats from Israel, including Jordan, Chile, Bolivia, and Colombia. Israel also recalled their diplomats from Turkey after remarks against Israel’s siege on Gaza by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Update 4:

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees tweeted on 2 November that around 690,000 citizens in the Gaza Strip are internally displaced and are sheltered in one of the 149 UNRWA installations.

The installations are at “almost 4x their intended capacity…and overcrowded conditions continue to create severe health and protection concerns,” reads the tweet.

Since the beginning of the siege, 70 UNRWA staff members have been killed – which is the highest recorded number of UN aid workers killed in a short time frame.

Update 3: 

Egypt announced in a statement on Thursday, 2 November, that Egypt would assist in the evacuation of “roughly 7,000” foreigners and dual nationalities from the Gaza Strip, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Assistant Foreign Minister Ismail Khairat stated that Egypt was getting ready “to facilitate the reception and evacuation of foreign citizens from Gaza through the Rafah crossing” during a conference with international diplomats. He estimated that these citizens “number at about 7,000” and represent “more than 60” different nationalities.

Update 2:

President Joe Biden called for a humanitarian pause in Gaza on Wednesday, 1 November, showing a shift of viewpoint from his previous steadfast support for Israel’s right to self-defense.

“I think we need a pause. A pause means give time to get the prisoners out,” Biden said.

Biden expressed his view after getting interrupted by a protestor during his campaign speech, who said: “As a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire right now.”

The White House previously supported a humanitarian pause to allow critical aid into Gaza, despite the statements by National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby that said “the U.S. would not be drawing any red lines for Israel.”

Update 1:

Israeli forces confirmed on Wednesday, 1 November that it launched the second airstrike on Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp in two days to kill another Hamas commander.

The operation could violate international humanitarian law, according to UN human rights officials.

Out of the eight refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, Jabalia is the biggest one. The majority of the refugees who settled in the camp after the 1948 War were from communities in southern Palestine. The camp now occupies a mere 1.4 square kilometres. In the Jabalia camp, 116,011 Palestinian refugees have registered with UNRWA.

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 8,720 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip — including more than 3,600 children — and over 22,000 others injured. Meanwhile over 340 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and around 2,100 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.