Hamas govt suspends evacuation of foreigners to Egypt: border official

Palestinian health ministry ambulances cross the gate to enter the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip before crossing into Egypt on November 1, 2023. (Photo by Mohammed Abed / AFP)

Agence France-Presse

Gaza’s Hamas government suspended the evacuation of foreign passport holders to Egypt Saturday after Israel refused to allow some wounded Palestinians to be evacuated to Egyptian hospitals, a border official said.

“No foreign passport holder will be able to leave the Gaza Strip until wounded people who need to be evacuated from hospitals in north Gaza are transported through the Rafah crossing” to Egypt, the official said on condition of anonymity.

An Egyptian security source confirmed to AFP that “no wounded person or holder of a foreign passport arrived at the Egyptian terminal” of Rafah on Saturday.

He said the evacuation was suspended “after the bombing of ambulances transporting injured people who were on their way to the Egyptian terminal”.

On Friday, the Israeli army announced it had struck an ambulance outside Al-Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest, saying it was “used by a Hamas terrorist cell”.

At least 15 people were killed and 60 wounded in the strike, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

Israel launched a war against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 attacks which claimed 1,400 lives – mostly civilians – according to Israel.

The Hamas-run health ministry says air, land and sea attacks on Gaza have killed nearly 9,500 Palestinians.

Popular

Castro to VP Sara on Valentine’s Day: Spread love, not fake news

By Brian Campued Palace Press Officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro on Friday called Vice President Sara Duterte “blind” for not seeing the work of President...

Palace: PBBM focused on work, leaves corruption probe to authorities

By Brian Campued Malacañang on Friday refuted claims that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has direct knowledge on the alleged kickbacks received by high-ranking officials...

PBBM convenes with Cabinet execs, prov’l guvs for unified ‘Basyang’ response

By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet After witnessing the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing between the Department of Education (DepEd) and provincial local government units as part...

Palace dismisses PBBM’s colon cancer rumor

By Brian Campued Malacañang on Wednesday dismissed the claims that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has colon cancer. In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer and...