First Wave Of Refugees Leaving Gaza To Cross To Egypt

Illustration of residents and border crossers in Rafah. (Wikimedia Commons/men'smen

JAKARTA - The first group of refugees, consisting of those injured, began leaving Gaza, Palestine to cross into Egypt on Wednesday, based on a deal mediated by Qatar, an Egyptian security source said, as Israeli forces stepped up attacks on Hamas militants.

The refugees were taken by ambulance via the Rafah border crossing. Under the agreement reached between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, a number of foreigners and seriously injured people will be allowed to leave the trapped territory where they are trapped.

Egyptian security sources previously said up to 500 foreign passport holders would pass the Rafah border on Wednesday. About 200 people waited on the Palestinian side of the border on Wednesday morning, the source said.

A second source said not everyone is predicted to be present on Wednesday. However, there is no time limit for how long the crossing will remain open for evacuation, they added.

Meanwhile, a Western official said a list of people with foreign passports that could leave Gaza had been agreed between Israel and Egypt and the relevant embassies had been notified.

An Israeli official who did not wish to be named confirmed this, confirmed that Israel was coordinating with Egypt about those leaving Gaza.

The first source said the deal was not linked to other issues, such as the release of about 240 hostages detained by Hamas or "humanitarian bodies" in the fighting that many countries have called for.

Israel bombarded and blockaded the Gaza Strip after Hamas' attack on its southern region on October 7, killing about 300 soldiers and about 1,100 civilians, Israeli authorities said.

Meanwhile, Gaza's Ministry of Health said on Wednesday the death toll in the region as of Wednesday had reached 8,796, including 3,648 children.