Dozens of people entered the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday. It appeared to be the first time foreign passport holders have been allowed to leave the besieged territory since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than three weeks ago. Early Wednesday, providers Paltel and Jawwal reported a “complete disruption” of communications and internet services in Gaza, the second major cut in five days. Humanitarian aid agencies have warned that such blackouts severely disrupt their work in an already dire situation in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 8,525, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 122 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, most of them civilians slain in the initial Oct. 7 Hamas rampage that started the fighting. In addition, around 240 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by the militant group. One of the captives, a female Israeli soldier, was rescued in a special forces operation.
Quick Read
- Rafah Crossing Movement:
- Dozens entered the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt.
- This marked the first time foreign passport holders were allowed to leave Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began over three weeks ago.
- Only four hostages released by Hamas have been allowed to leave Gaza, with another being rescued by Israeli forces.
- More than 400 foreign passport holders were expected to exit Gaza on Wednesday.
- Egypt won’t accept a large number of Palestinian refugees due to concerns that Israel won’t let them return post-war.
- Communication Blackout in Gaza:
- Providers Paltel and Jawwal reported a complete disruption in communications and internet services, the second major cut in five days.
- NetBlocks.org confirmed that Gaza is experiencing a near-total telecom blackout.
- Humanitarian aid agencies emphasized that these blackouts greatly impede their operations in Gaza.
- Doctors Without Borders mentioned that the blackout has hindered its activities, making coordination impossible.
- International Responses:
- Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, condemned recent Israeli airstrikes on a refugee camp near Gaza City and called on the international community to intervene.
- Five Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) criticized Israel’s airstrikes on the Jabaliya camp.
- Qatar, involved in mediating talks with Hamas, described the strike as a “new massacre” and expressed concerns about the escalating confrontations.
The situation remains highly complex, with ongoing events and international reactions unfolding rapidly.
The Associated Press has the story:
Foreign passport holders enter Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt
Newslooks- Gaza, RAFAH, CAIRO, EGYPT (AP)
Dozens of people could be seen entering the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday. It appeared to be the first time foreign passport holders have been allowed to leave the besieged territory since the start of the war.
Hundreds have gathered at the crossing at different times in recent weeks, but have not been allowed out due to disagreements among Egypt, Israel and Hamas. No one has been allowed to leave Gaza, except for four hostages released by Hamas. Another captive was rescued by Israeli forces earlier this week.
Egyptian state-run media reported that more than 80 wounded Palestinians would be brought from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday for medical treatment. Ambulances were seen entering the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side, and a field hospital has been set up in the nearby town of Sheikh Zuweid.
The Palestinian crossing authority said more than 400 foreign passport holders would be permitted to leave Gaza on Wednesday. Egypt has said it will not accept an influx of Palestinian refugees because of fears Israel will not allow them to return to Gaza after the war.
GAZA IS PLUNGED BACK INTO A COMMUNICATION BLACKOUT
CAIRO — Gaza has once again suffered a communication blackout, providers Paltel and Jawwal said Wednesday.
In an email to The Associated Press, internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org confirmed that Gaza “is in the midst of a total or near-total telecoms blackout consistent with” the weekend blackout.
Connectivity was previously cut from late Friday to early Sunday, coinciding with the entry of large numbers of ground troops into Gaza in what Israel at the time described as a new stage in the war. Attempts to reach Gaza residents by phone were unsuccessful early Wednesday.
Humanitarian aid agencies have warned that such blackouts severely disrupt their work in an already dire situation in Gaza.
The aid group Doctors Without Borders said the blackout has hampered its activities. Guillemette Thomas, medical coordinator for the group, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, said the blackout has made it “impossible to coordinate” its activities. She said they have been unable to reach the group’s team in Gaza hospitals since Tuesday evening.
PAKISTAN URGES ACTION AFTER ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES ON A REFUGEE CAMP
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Wednesday denounced the latest Israeli airstrikes on a refugee camp near Gaza City, urging the international community to play its role in ending such strikes.
“Yesterday’s air raid on Jabalia camp, where hundreds of lives were lost, including women and children, was a stark reminder of ongoing Israeli brutalities and war crimes in Gaza,” Kakar said in a statement.
He said that “such reprehensible acts can never be condoned or forgotten. The world must act now to end this carnage.”
FIVE ARAB STATES DENOUNCE ISRAEL’S AIRSTRIKES ON A REFUGEE CAMP
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Five Arab states have strongly criticized Israel’s airstrikes on a refugee camp near Gaza City as its war on Hamas rages.
Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates each issued statements denouncing the strikes on the Jabaliya camp. The exact number of casualties was not immediately clear in the strikes, though one doctor said hundreds were killed and wounded.
Qatar, which as been mediating talks with Hamas over the more than 200 hostages it holds from its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, described the strike as “a new massacre against the defenseless Palestinian people, especially women and children.” The country warned that “the expansion of Israeli attacks in (the) Gaza Strip … is a dangerous escalation in the course of confrontations, which would undermine mediation and de-escalation efforts.”
