Rafah is the only crossing in the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel. When Rafah opens and who can pass through the crossing is strictly controlled. Now, for the first time since the beginning of the Gaza war on October 7th, hundreds of foreigners and Palestinians can leave the coastal strip, which is otherwise sealed off by Israel, towards Egypt with a second passport.
According to the Foreign Office in Berlin, there were a single-digit number of Germans who had left the country among the foreigners. Injured people from the Gaza Strip were also taken to the Egyptian town of Al-Arish and other places near the border for treatment. Until now, only relief goods had passed through the crossing.
According to the Foreign Ministry, aid workers were met at the Rafah border crossing by a team from the Cairo embassy. “At the same time, we are continuing to work hard on the departure of the remaining Germans in Gaza,” the ministry wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Efforts to ensure the welfare of German hostages continued.
A group of 31 Austrians was also evacuated to Egypt via Rafah in the afternoon, as the Foreign Ministry in Vienna announced in the evening. These are mainly dual citizens who live in the Gaza Strip or were visiting family, including ten minors.
US citizens also left the country
According to the US government, several American citizens also left the Gaza Strip for Egypt via the Rafah border crossing. “And we expect the departure of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to continue over the next few days,” said U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. Miller did not provide precise information about the number of people who had left the country; he referred to security reasons.
France and Italy confirmed the departure of five and four of their nationals respectively. According to eyewitnesses and the Red Crescent, citizens of Canada, Finland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Japan, Australia and Indonesia also came to Egypt.
More people are still expected to leave
A total of 525 foreigners and Palestinians with another nationality should still be able to leave the country, said Raed Abdel Nasser, Secretary General of the Egyptian Red Crescent in North Sinai, to the German Press Agency. According to dpa information, after crossing the border they should be taken to Cairo Airport and continue their journey from there. The respective embassies organize the transport.
The Interior Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, had published a list of around 500 names of those for whom an exit was being prepared. Two Germans are also listed there who work for the United Nations and for an aid organization in the Gaza Strip. It is unclear how many foreigners and Palestinians with second passports are currently in the Gaza Strip and how many want to leave.
Wounded Palestinians brought to Egypt
Palestinian injured people were also brought across the border to Egypt for treatment for the first time. The Egyptian Red Crescent confirmed to the German Press Agency that “a new batch of wounded and injured Palestinians” had been admitted to hospitals near the border.
According to a statement from the border authority in Gaza, 81 seriously injured people were to be brought across the border. The number is small compared to the more than 20,000 people who have been injured in the Gaza Strip so far, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health. According to the UN, 1.4 million people are on the run because of Israel’s attacks.
Palestinian extremists attacked Israel at the beginning of October and carried out massacres of hundreds of Israelis there. More than 1,400 people were killed and, according to the Israeli army, at least 240 hostages were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip. Israel then sealed off the coastal area and began air and ground attacks.
