The Rafah border crossing point between Gaza and Egypt was also indicated to be active on Sunday as Israel declared that there will be some movement in and out of the country after years of almost complete closure. It is considered an important move to the reopening of the crossroad as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire continues to form.
The Israeli authorities claimed that the crossing was opened on a trial basis. Coordinator of Government Activities in Territories (COGAT) which is the Israeli military organization that controls the affairs of the civilians in Gaza has indicated that preparations to ensure that the crossing is operating fully are in progress. After making such arrangements, the residents of Gaza will be permitted to pass through the agency said.
One of the Egyptian officials said that Palestinian security officers entered the Egyptian side of the Rafah terminal and headed to the Palestinian gate where they will work together with a European Union mission that will oversee entry and exit. It was also observed that ambulances were passing through the Egyptian gate, which meant that they were prepared to do medical evacuations. The official also talked on a condition of anonymity since they were not given the mandate to brief the media.
The leader of the newly formed Palestinian administrative committee that is in charge of day to day civilian affairs in Gaza, indicated that the travel in both directions would start on Monday. To the Palestinians, Rafah has been considered as their main source of connecting with the world. Nevertheless, it has been mostly closed ever since it was taken over by Israel in May 2024.
First, the flow via Rafah will be very limited. Few individuals will be allowed to move around and no commercial products will be passed. Approximately 20,000 Palestinians are hoping to depart Gaza among them children and adults who are urgently in need of medical attention. In the meantime, thousands of Palestinians who are displaced in foreign countries are waiting to have an opportunity to go back.
Zaher al-Wahidi, the head of the Gaza Health Ministry documentation department said that the authorities were yet to be officially informed when evacuations would commence in the medical field.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News