Egypt reopens Rafah border to evacuate 7,000 foreigners from Gaza
CAIRO: Egypt will help evacuate “about 7,000” foreigners and dual nationals from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said, with the health ministry announcing hundreds of new arrivals were processed Thursday.
The health ministry said 21 wounded Palestinians were brought out for treatment in Egyptian hospitals Thursday, and “344 foreign nationals, including 72 children” also passed through the Rafah border crossing.
It was the second day that Egypt had opened the crossing to let people out of Gaza after a first on Wednesday.
In a meeting with foreign diplomats, Assistant Foreign Minister Ismail Khairat said Egypt was preparing “to facilitate the reception and evacuation of foreign citizens from Gaza through the Rafah crossing”, a ministry statement said.
Khairat said that involved “about 7,000” people of “more than 60” nationalities, but the statement offered no specific timeline.
Ambulances carrying the injured have only trickled in, after an official on the Egyptian side of the crossing said 60 were expected to cross Thursday, in addition to “400 people holding foreign passports”.
The Egyptian official said a total of 361 foreigners and dual nationals escaped Gaza on Wednesday, revising an earlier figure of 335. He said 46 seriously wounded people were evacuated, along with 30 people accompanying them.
US President Joe Biden said 74 American citizens were among Thursday’s evacuees.
Among the foreign and dual nationals who crossed on Wednesday were 31 Austrians, four Italians, five French nationals and some Germans and Americans, their governments said.
The health ministry in Gaza has said intense Israeli bombardment has killed more than 9,000 people, two-thirds of them women and children, since fighting erupted after the October 7 attacks that Israeli officials say left 1,400 people dead.
