Israel-Gaza war: Hamas government suspends evacuation of foreigners to Egypt, border official says
- The move comes after Israel bombed ambulances on their way to the Rafah crossing while bringing the wounded to hospitals in Egypt
- At least 15 people were killed and 60 wounded in the strike, Gaza health officials say, though Israel says the vehicle was being used by a terrorist cell
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Gaza’s Hamas government suspended the evacuation of foreign passport holders to Egypt Saturday after Israel refused to allow some wounded Palestinians to be evacuated to Egyptian hospitals, a border official said.
“No foreign passport holder will be able to leave the Gaza Strip until wounded people who need to be evacuated from hospitals in north Gaza are transported through the Rafah crossing” to Egypt, the official said on condition of anonymity.
An Egyptian security source confirmed to Agence France-Presse that “no wounded person or holder of a foreign passport arrived at the Egyptian terminal” of Rafah on Saturday.
He said the evacuation was suspended “after the bombing of ambulances transporting injured people who were on their way to the Egyptian terminal”.
On Friday, the Israeli army announced it had struck an ambulance outside Al-Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest, saying it was “used by a Hamas terrorist cell”.
At least 15 people were killed and 60 wounded in the strike, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Israel strikes ambulance in Gaza City, many reported killed
Israel launched a war against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 attacks which claimed 1,400 lives – mostly civilians – according to Israel.
The Hamas-run health ministry says air, land and sea attacks on Gaza have killed nearly 9,500 Palestinians.
