Following a brief reopening, the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and egypt has seen limited passage of Palestinians seeking medical care and other essential needs [[2]]. The crossing, which had been closed since May 2024, remains subject too strict Israeli limitations on who can exit or enter the territory [[1]]. As of Sunday, nearly 180 Palestinians have been able to leave Gaza, though officials warn that access remains severely restricted amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.
Nearly 180 Palestinians have left the Gaza Strip since the limited reopening of the border with Egypt on February 2, officials in the territory announced Sunday. The development comes as the region faces a growing humanitarian crisis, with limited access to medical care and essential supplies.
Between Monday and Thursday, 135 individuals, the majority of whom were patients and their accompanying family members, were permitted by Israel to exit Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Another 88 Palestinians returned to Gaza from Egypt before the crossing closed for the weekend on Friday and Saturday, according to a press statement from the Hamas-controlled Gaza government.
The Rafah crossing reopened Sunday, allowing for the departure of an additional 44 Palestinians, “including 19 patients and their companions,” said Mohammed Abou Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed these figures, and an Egyptian source also reported 44 departures on Sunday. This brings the total number of Palestinians leaving Gaza over the past seven days to 179.
Ismaïl al-Thawabteh, head of the Gaza government’s press office, stated that the official figures for crossings at Rafah between February 2 and February 5 demonstrate “a severe restriction of movement.”
20’000 patients in need of care
On Sunday, several Palestinian families gathered at a Red Crescent center in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, to accompany relatives awaiting evacuation to Egypt.
Israel agreed to reopen the Rafah crossing – the only direct route out of Gaza that does not pass through Israel – which had been closed since May 2024, but with strict limitations on who could enter or exit the territory.
The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have been calling for the full reopening of the border with Egypt for months, as outlined in a plan proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at ending the conflict between Israel and Hamas, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
According to Abou Salmiya, approximately “20,000 patients, including 4,500 children,” currently “urgently need medical care” in the territory, which has been devastated by two years of conflict. The situation underscores the dire medical needs within Gaza and the challenges of providing adequate healthcare.
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