Israel-Hamas War: Foreigners attempting to leave Gaza stopped at Rafah border

The exit of foreigners from Gaza via the Rafah border crossing has been halted in an apparent dispute over evacuating injured patients.

Hundreds of foreign citizens have escaped through the crossing into Egypt in the past few days.

But on Saturday, no foreign nationals, dual nationals or injured patients were let through, Palestinian sources said.

Hundreds of people with foreign passports went to the border, but the gate did not open.

As per source-based reports, movement of individuals with foreign passports is prohibited until an agreement is reached about the safety of transferring injured patients.

There has been no official statement yet.

The inability of British nationals in Gaza to depart through the Rafah crossing was confirmed by the UK Foreign Office. There were as many as 90 people with British passports attempting to leave Gaza, officials told.

Many residents were able to exit Gaza on Wednesday thanks to the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

It was their first chance to do so since the start of the conflict on October 7, when militants from Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people.

Since then, the Israeli military has imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, begun a huge bombing campaign, and most recently begun a ground operation in the northern part of the territory. 9,488 people have reportedly died in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Rafah borders the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and is the southernmost point of exit from Gaza.

Manchester-born British scientist Mohammed Ghalayini, who was in Gaza on a family visit when the conflict broke out, went to the crossing with his uncle earlier this week after being added by Gaza officials to the list of authorized evacuees.

“People are really afraid of what’s going on and so if they have a chance to leave, they’re trying to leave,” he stated to the BBC.

“But getting to the border is a struggle as well, because fuel supplies are short,” he stated. “So you know, I saw people arriving on a donkey cart with their luggage at the border.”

The crossing is currently the only point of entry for humanitarian aid, having been opened and closed multiple times over the years.

Since the commencement of the war, Israel has prohibited the entry of any fuel shipments into the Gaza Strip. Additionally, it has cut off electrical supplies, which has led UN agencies to request that fuel be let into Gaza to run essential services.

However, US special envoy David Satterfield said reporters on Saturday that there is a prearranged system in place to supply more fuel to Gaza should it run out.