The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt reopened on Monday to allow the evacuation of foreigners, dual nationals and wounded Palestinians from the area under shelling by Israeli forces, the Hamas government said.
The terminal opened for three days last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to allow dozens of injured Palestinians and hundreds of foreign passport holders to cross the border, before being closed on Saturday and Sunday due to a dispute over the passage of ambulances.
Sources within the Hamas government said the border crossing was reopened following an agreement with Israel – secured with Egyptian mediation – to allow the evacuation of 30 injured people.
Six ambulances arrived on the Egyptian side of the border crossing on Monday carrying injured Palestinians to hospitals, a border official told AFP.
The White House announced Sunday that more than 300 Americans, U.S. residents and their families have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip.
About 100 British nationals could also leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, the British government said on Monday.
Egypt has said it will help evacuate about 7,000 foreigners through the border crossing.
The Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said on Monday that the number of deaths from Israeli bombing of the Palestinian territory has exceeded 10,000.
Israeli forces have stepped up their ground offensive in Gaza as part of the military response to the October 7 Hamas attacks, which officials say killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 240 hostage.
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