Witnesses at the border on the Gaza side saw scores of people and cars hurrying to get through the gates towards the Egyptian side through the damaged terminal area, some carrying their belongings. Ambulances whisked away the wounded to Egyptian field hospitals, including one young boy with heavy bandaging around his stomach.
By late Wednesday, at least 335 dual nationals and 76 injured seriously wounded and sick people had crossed the border, with more expected to follow.
The limited evacuations occurred as Israeli forces continued to bomb the Palestinian enclave from land, sea and air as they pressed their offensive against Hamas militants. Another blast shook Jabalia, Gaza’s largest refugee camp, on Wednesday, a day after Palestinian health officials said an Israeli airstrike killed about 50 people and wounded 150 there. Israel said it killed a Hamas commander in the attack.
A Jordanian citizen, Umm Saleh Hussein, one of those who made it into Egypt, said water and electricity shortages were “the least” of the hardships people in Gaza were facing. “There were bigger problems such as the bombardment. We were afraid. Many families were martyred,” she told Agence France-Presse.
Those cleared to leave on Wednesday included citizens and dual passport holders from Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Indonesia, Japan and Jordan, as well as staff members from several aid organisations.
Only a handful of Americans crossed, all employed by international organisations. The US president, Joe Biden, said in a post on X – formerly Twitter – that he “expect[ed] to see more depart over the coming days”.
On Wednesday evening the UK Foreign Office said a first group of British nationals had entered Egypt. The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, called the crossing “a hugely important first step”.
“We are working with Egyptian and Israeli authorities to ensure the crossing stays open so all British nationals can get to safety in the coming days,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
Photo source: picture from an open source