Israeli troops and evacuees left behind by the Gaza border after the Hamas attack on Oct. 21, 2001, the start of Israel’s ground operations
The announcement followed a 34-hour communications blackout in Gaza over the weekend that coincided with the start of Israel’s “expanded” ground operations.
The Gaza internet and phone service was out again Wednesday, that’s why the activity at the border took place. The Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel attributed the outage to “international routes that were previously reconnected being disconnected again.”
On Tuesday, 59 trucks of aid entered Gaza — the largest number of trucks in one day since aid began crossing on Oct. 21. Israel is blocking the delivery of fuel. More trucks were expected to enter Gaza Wednesday.
Israel’s airstrikes are ongoing, and its ground campaign inside Gaza has intensified. Israeli troops have entered from Gaza’s north and east, and the Israel Defense Forces have reported multiple skirmishes between its soldiers and Hamas fighters.
With all of Israel’s borders with Gaza closed since Oct. 7, the day the militant group Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israeli towns, the only operational crossing into Gaza is Rafah, along the territory’s southern border with Egypt. Aid trucks are allowed through the border, but it is largely closed.
Live TV footage on the Palestinian side of the border showed crowds of people, including children, gathered at the terminal separating Egypt from Gaza, many of them carrying suitcases and some with donkey-driven carts loaded with luggage.
The 81 seriously injured people would be brought to hospitals in Egypt for medical care according to the Hamas Border Authority. Live television footage of the crossing showed ambulances entering the terminal. There was no detail on nationality of those people immediately available.
Some of the would-be evacuees repeatedly went to the Rafah crossing over the last three weeks after hearing it might open, only to find the gate shut. Many people head to the crossing even if they weren’t scheduled to leave because of rumors that the crossing was open this week. Some people may not have known they were on the list to leave due to the lack of internet and spotty phone connections.
The ability to show up at the border with a foreign passport was not as simple as evacuees described in interviews with The New York Times.
After surviving three weeks in Gaza, a mother and daughter went to cross the border with Egypt. They said goodbye. Then Ms. Salah watched her firstborn cross to safety without her.
“It’s very difficult, but she should go,” Ms. Salah said in a phone call from the city of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, holding back tears. To be safe.
The State Department and the Palestinians: Calling for a Break in the War on Nuclear Reactors and the Eviction of Hostiles
The border authority issued a list of those who had their passports approved to leave. It included around 400 Americans. It was unclear how many would be able to cross Thursday.
Matthew Miller said the State Department has been in contact with around 400 Americans who want to leave. Miller said the number is around 1,000 with their family members.
Calls for a cease-fire have grown from human rights groups, international leaders and left-leaning members of the Democratic party. The White House, once steadfast in its support of Israel’s opposition to a cease-fire, has shown support in recent days for what officials have called a “humanitarian pause.”
He spoke to the crowd after giving a speech, saying that he thinks we need a break. A brief cessation of military operations could “give time to get the prisoners out,” he added, which the White House later clarified to refer to hostages held by Hamas.