Injured Palestinians from Gaza brought to Egypt

The first group of about 90 seriously injured Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have been brought to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing. A field hospital is being set up for them in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

According to Egyptian media and an Egyptian official, the first group of injured Palestinians has left the Gaza Strip and entered Egypt through the Rafah border crossing. The injured were transported in ambulances across the border. Egypt had announced that it would receive and treat the injured from the Gaza Strip in response to Israeli bombardments.

Egyptian television stations showed footage of ambulances arriving at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing. In total, approximately 90 seriously injured Palestinians will be taken to Egyptian facilities for medical treatment. On the Palestinian side of the border crossing, an AFP journalist observed at least 40 ambulances carrying two injured individuals each arriving at the Rafah border crossing to travel to Egypt.

Injured individuals to be transferred to a field hospital

According to reports, the injured individuals are expected to be transferred to a field hospital located 15 kilometers from Rafah in the city of Sheikh Zuweid, as well as to a hospital in El Arish and, in more complex cases, to Cairo.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the militant Islamist group Hamas, informed AFP that a list of 4,000 injured individuals had been transmitted to Egypt. The injured individuals require medical care that cannot be provided in the Gaza Strip. Previously, Hamas had stated that Egypt had agreed to receive 81 seriously injured individuals. The decision to receive injured individuals from the Gaza Strip was made hours after an Israeli attack on the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, which, according to Israel and the Hamas-led Ministry of Health, resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people and the injury of 150.

Initially, Egypt had opposed the reception of people from Gaza. The Egyptian government feared that the conflict could escalate and spread to the country and beyond. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi instead suggested that Israel should accommodate the Palestinians in the Negev.

Rafah is the only border crossing of the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel. It is considered by Gaza residents as the most important gateway to the outside world. It was opened for people on Wednesday for the first time since Hamas’ major attack on Israel on October 7.

Several hundred people with foreign passports or dual citizenship have reportedly reached Egypt from the Gaza Strip, according to ARD correspondent Gabriele Dunkel. However, it is unclear how long the Rafah border crossing will remain open. According to Reuters and US media, an agreement was reached through Qatari mediation, supported by Egypt, Israel, and the Islamist group Hamas.