Rafah crossing opens briefly to allow some foreigners, wounded to exit Gaza
Al JazeeraNov 01, 2023
After being closed during three weeks of conflict, Gaza's border crossing with Egypt opened for partial evacuations for the first time on Wednesday. While the Rafah crossing has so far allowed an estimated 200 aid trucks to pass, it was the first time people were allowed to cross — allowing an estimated 90 injured Palestinians and hundreds of dual citizens to enter Egypt.
According to reporting from Reuters, the deal between Israel, Egypt, and Hamas was mediated by Qatar with collaboration from the US. A source for the publication said it's unknown how long the border crossing would remain open.
After weeks of bombardment and blockade, the limited opening of the Rafah border crossing is a welcome move — allowing those who are seriously injured to seek immediate medical treatment, as well as allowing dual nationals to escape. However, too many in Gaza remain perilously close to death in this humanitarian catastrophe.
After Hamas' attack on Israel, the country was right to launch a war on the terror organization and seek to root it out. However, the war has also caused significant hardships on civilians so this deal mediated by Qatar is welcomed by Israel.
There's a 50% chance that Israel will lift the blockade on electricity, food, gasoline, and medicine in Gaza by December 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.