The Rafah crossing to Egypt reopens, and the first foreign passport holders and injured people finally begin to leave Gaza

Foreign passport holders and injured Palestinians stuck in Gaza have begun leaving the war-torn area as the Rafah border crossing into Egypt reopened for the first time since Hamas’ bloody attacks on October 7.

Photos show relieved families streaming out of the border gates, which have remained firmly closed to anyone entering the besieged strip amid brutal Israeli airstrikes that Hamas says have killed more than 8,500 people.

Convoys of desperately needed aid have passed between Egypt and Gaza, which the UN has described as “a drop in an ocean of need” – but so far no people have been allowed through the Rafah crossing.

British nationals are among those who have flocked to Gaza’s southern border in recent weeks, in the desperate hope that they would be among the lucky few to enter Egypt.

According to local media, the first group of injured evacuees from the Egypt strip have now arrived in ambulances, while many more are making the crossing on foot, carrying only a few belongings as they make the journey to safety.

Lines began forming at the terminal early this morning and some 545 foreigners and dual nationals, along with about 90 sick and injured people, were expected to leave.

After being allowed into the terminal area, huge queues formed around the crossing booths for checks on passports and other documents. Ambulances waited on the Egyptian side to take away the wounded and sick.

It is believed that the evacuations were secured as part of an agreement, brokered by Qatar, between Israel, Hamas and Egypt in coordination with the US.

Some Britons stuck in Gaza are expected to be able to leave today via the border crossing with Egypt.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said this morning that teams are ready to help British nationals who may flee the area.

As Tel Aviv’s armed forces step up operations against the Hamas group with combined air and ground offensives, Mr. Cleverly stressed the need for humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza.

Mr Cleverly said: ‘UK teams are ready to help UK nationals as soon as they are able to leave.

“It is crucial that life-saving humanitarian aid can enter Gaza as quickly as possible.”

Zaynab Wandawi, an English teacher from Salford, Greater Manchester, is among those stuck in Gaza after traveling there with her husband earlier this month.

She described her despair when she reached the border earlier this week, telling a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office official she feared they would not make it.

“The longer we are here, the more likely we are not to reach the Rafah border,” Zaynab told them.

“I honestly don’t think they know how much our lives are in danger.”

The Gaza Borders and Crossings Authority previously published the names of more than 500 foreigners and dual nationals whom it called on to travel to Rafah to leave the Strip.

The area around the terminal was hit during Israeli air strikes. Photos show razed buildings in Rafah, despite Israel urging people to move south for their safety.

Amid relentless Israeli bombing, those trapped in the Gaza Strip are facing “catastrophic” shortages of medical supplies, food, water and fuel.

The UN estimates that around 1.4 million people in Gaza are internally displaced, while hundreds of thousands are confined to shelters and hospitals.

But as a few hundred people prepared to leave, the rest of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents were once again cut off from the world — and from each other.

Palestinian telecom company Paltel said internet and mobile phone services were gradually being restored in Gaza after a “complete disruption” also reported by internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org. It was the second time residents were largely cut off after communications were cut off over the weekend as Israeli forces pushed into Gaza in greater numbers.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said communications disruptions are disrupting the work of first responders and making it harder for civilians to seek safety. “Even the potentially life-saving act of calling an ambulance becomes impossible,” said Jessica Moussan, spokesperson for the ICRC.

More than 15,000 people injured in Israeli retaliatory attacks include some of those brought from Gaza for treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

The Hamas-led Health Ministry says the bombing killed more than 8,500 people, two-thirds of them women and children.

Israel launched the bombardment of Gaza after Hamas’ invasion on October 7, killing 1,400, mostly civilians. Another 240 people were taken hostage.

Yesterday, a refugee camp in northern Gaza was bombed by the Israeli army, killing at least 50 people, according to the Hamas-led health authority.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israeli fighter jets carried out the attack, which he said killed a senior Hamas commander and collapsed the terror group’s underground infrastructure.

The IDF said that “numerous Hamas terrorists were hit during the attack.”

Jabalia is the largest of the besieged enclave’s eight refugee camps and is densely populated: according to the United Nations, it has registered 116,000 refugees and residents are forced to live in cramped, substandard conditions.