Egypt opens Rafah border crossing for first time, hundreds escape
What's the story
Scores of foreign and dual passport holders escaped Gaza on Wednesday as Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7.
While it is not clear how many people left the Gaza Strip, footage showed hundreds of people entering the Palestinian side of the terminal.
The opening came hours after Israel bombed the Jabalia refugee camp, killing top Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari and at least 50 civilians, Reuters reported.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The eight-mile-long Rafah border crossing with Egypt serves as the only functioning passage between the war-torn Gaza Strip and the rest of the world.
Ever since the war started on October 7, hundreds of people have been queuing up at the crossing to escape the conflict.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reports that Israeli bombardments have killed more than 8,500 people since the conflict began, with two-thirds of the casualties being women and children.
Details
More than 400 Gaza residents expected to cross
Egyptian authorities had opened the Rafah crossing on October 21 but only allowed international aid inside the Palestinian enclave.
Until now, over 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have entered Gaza from Egypt, but no one has been permitted to leave Gaza.
Approximately 400 foreigners and dual nationals, along with around 90 sick and injured people, are anticipated to depart, per Reuters.
Insights
Israel faces international condemnation
The strike on Gaza's largest refugee camp in Jabalia drew even more international condemnation as Bolivia severed ties with Israel.
Meanwhile, Qatar cautioned that escalating attacks would hinder mediation and de-escalation endeavors. Saudi Arabia also denounced the assault, condemning "the inhumane targeting by the Israeli occupation forces of the Jabalia refugee camp."
Nevertheless, there appears to be little indication of the conflict subsiding, as Israel reported that nine soldiers were killed in intense clashes with Hamas militants on Tuesday.
Facts
Time is running out for Gaza residents, aid organizations warn
Aid organizations and the United Nations (UN) have cautioned that time is running out for many of Gaza's 2.4 million inhabitants, who lack access to food, water, fuel, and medicine.
As Israel continues its siege, surgeons are performing amputations without anesthesia, and children are drinking salty water.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, asserting that it would equate to "a call for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism...to barbarism."
Unicef
Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of kids: UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also said that Gaza, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, has turned into a graveyard for thousands of children.
Apart from the besieged enclave, Israel has killed 122 Palestinians in the West Bank.
The UN Human Rights New York Office director, Craig Moniker, resigned, citing the timidity of the organization's key members against "a textbook case of genocide."