At least 320 foreign passport holders and some injured Gazans were able to leave the Palestinian enclave through the Rafah crossing into Egypt on Wednesday. This marks the first wave of evacuations as part of a deal mediated by Qatar. The agreement, brokered between Egypt, Israel, and Hamas, allows for the evacuation of 81 wounded individuals and an initial list of 500 foreign passport holders from the Gaza Strip. Sources indicate that a total of 7,500 foreign passport holders are expected to be evacuated over the next two weeks, with Al Arish airport being made available for their departure. These limited evacuations come after more than three weeks of a total blockade of Gaza by Israel.

The blockade was implemented in response to an attack by Hamas fighters on Israel on October 7th. During this time, Israel has conducted airstrikes on Gaza, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, including many children. In response to the deteriorating situation, a deal was reached to evacuate foreign passport holders and injured individuals from Gaza. The evacuees departed from the territory on six buses, with their destination being Egypt. Upon arrival in Egypt, they underwent security checks. Additionally, a small number of injured individuals were transported in ambulances and received medical attention from Egyptian medical teams. The Egypt Health Ministry confirmed that 16 medical evacuees had been transferred to hospitals in the northern Sinai region.

Furthermore, a field hospital has been set up at Sheikh Zuweid, near the Rafah crossing, to treat evacuees from Gaza. The identities and nationalities of the first batch of foreign passport holders have not been confirmed yet. However, a list published on the Gaza border crossings authority Facebook page suggested that groups from Japan, Austria, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Jordan, Australia, Czech Republic, and Finland were among those cleared for evacuation. Additionally, staff from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the International Committee of the Red Cross were also on the list. It has been suggested that nationals of Muslim countries are being given priority for evacuation, while citizens from other countries will be ranked by alphabetical order.

The Rafah crossing, controlled by Egypt, serves as the main entrance and exit point to Gaza. It is located in a region heavily controlled by the Egyptian military, which has been suppressing an Islamist insurgency since 2013. Due to security concerns, only individuals who have obtained security clearance from Egyptian authorities are allowed close to the Rafah crossing. However, these limited evacuations are not expected to lead to a longer, unlimited opening of the crossing. It is important to note that Egypt, along with Israel, has maintained a blockade of Gaza since Hamas took power in 2007. Egypt has rejected the idea of mass displacement of Palestinians fleeing Gaza into its Sinai region.