Key Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt reopening for medical evacuations

EU restarts monitoring the cardinal borderline crossing which has been closed to radical since May 2024 amid Israel’s warfare connected Gaza.

The European Union has restarted its civilian ngo to show the borderline crossing astatine Rafah arsenic the cardinal transit constituent betwixt Gaza and Egypt is acceptable to reopen connected Saturday for aesculapian evacuations.

Gaza’s Health Ministry connected Friday confirmed that a fig of Palestinians – including injured civilians and Hamas fighters – would participate Egypt connected Saturday via the Rafah crossing, which has been unopen to quality postulation since May 2024.

It volition initially beryllium opened for 50 injured fighters and 50 wounded civilians, on with the radical escorting them, Hamas officials said, adding that a further 100 radical – astir apt students – would beryllium allowed done connected humanitarian grounds.

People volition lone beryllium allowed to question successful 1 direction, from Gaza to Egypt, for the clip being, officials person said.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s overseas argumentation chief, said connected Friday that “the EU’s civilian borderline ngo deploys contiguous to the Rafah crossing astatine the petition of the Palestinians and the Israelis.

“It volition enactment Palestinian borderline unit and let the transportation of individuals retired of Gaza, including those who request aesculapian care,” successful a post connected X.

Egyptian information sources confirmed that members of the EU squad had arrived astatine the facility.

The crossing volition present beryllium tally by members of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and European monitors, PA and according to Hamas officials.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the proscription of patients from 2 hospitals successful the northbound and southbound of the enclave would beryllium coordinated with the World Health Organization.

At a quality briefing successful Geneva connected Friday, WHO typical Rik Peeperkorn said astir 12,000-14,000 patients were waiting to beryllium evacuated from Gaza crossed the Rafah crossing.

Yossi Mekelberg, an expert astatine United Kingdom-based deliberation vessel Chatham House, told Al Jazeera that “from an Israeli constituent of view, the thought of allowing Hamas fighters to get aesculapian attraction was thing that, lone a fewer weeks ago, they would not person agreed to. Now, it’s happening.”

He added that “it’s besides symbolic that they’re allowing Rafah to unfastened arsenic a crossing to scope Egypt. We are opening to spot immoderate instrumentality to normalcy and immoderate instrumentality to communal consciousness among each sides.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of Egyptians attended a objection adjacent the Rafah crossing connected Friday to protestation against a program floated by US President Donald Trump to determination Palestinians from the territory to Egypt and Jordan, Egyptian media reported.

State-linked TV Al-Qahera News showed footage of hundreds of protesters waving Egyptian and Palestinian flags adjacent the borderline crossing.

Last week, Trump past week projected a program to “clean out” the Gaza Strip, and for Jordan and Egypt to instrumentality successful Palestinians from the war-ravaged territory.

Both states person publicly rejected the idea.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies