Half a thousand Palestinians with foreign passports cross through Rafah after an agreement between Egypt, Hamas and Israel

Half a thousand Palestinians with dual nationality crossed the Rafah crossing from Gaza on Wednesday towards Egypt, in parallel with the entry into the Palestinian side of dozens of ambulances to transfer wounded Gazans to Egyptian hospitals.

Sources at the Rafah crossing told EFE that this “first group” of Palestinians with dual nationality “are finalizing the procedures that allow them to be in Egyptian territory,” and did not rule out authorizing “other holders of foreign passports” to cross. towards Egypt.

They also highlighted that this permit follows an agreement between the Egyptian and Israeli authorities, with the mediation of Qatar and the United States, for the departure from Gaza of “some 500 foreign passport holders” of the Palestinian enclave.

Egypt, which categorically rejects the movement of Palestinian refugees to the Egyptian Sinai, has repeatedly accused Israel of imposing restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the departure of foreigners from the enclave.

The Egyptian authorities have also shown on several occasions their willingness to allow foreigners of various nationalities to cross the border, as long as they then travel to their respective countries.

The departure of Palestinians of dual nationality coincided with the entry today to the Palestinian side of Rafah, the only entrance and exit to the Palestinian territory under siege that is not in the hands of Israel, of dozens of Egyptian ambulances to transport “seriously wounded” by the Israeli bombings of the enclave to receive treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

Doctors without Borders of Spain and France

The Gaza Interior Ministry confirmed this Wednesday that it has authorized the departure of foreigners of various nationalities from the Strip, under the control of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

The General Agency for Crossings and Borders in Gaza, dependent on the Ministry, indicated in a statement on its Facebook page that it summoned foreign passport holders in Gaza at 7:00 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT time) to cross into Egypt through the Rafa land pass.

It published a list of people of around 500 people, which includes both Palestinians with foreign passports and citizens of other countries, with nationalities such as Japanese, Austrians and Bulgarians, as well as workers from international organizations such as Doctors Without Borders Spain and France.

The list does not specify who has a US passport, although this is one of the largest groups within the Gaza Strip, since many of those who appear on this list are named as Palestinians with another passport or as “internationals.” .

The departure of dual nationality Palestinians coincided with the entry into the Palestinian side of Rafah, the only entry and exit from the Palestinian territory under siege that is not in the hands of Israel, of dozens of Egyptian ambulances to transport those “seriously injured” by the bombings. Israelis from the enclave to receive treatment in Egyptian hospitals.