The Rafah border crossing opened on Wednesday for the first time since the 7 October Hamas attacks, allowing the exit of hundreds of foreign passport holders and wounded individuals from the war-torn Gaza Strip to Egypt.

According to the international multimedia news provider AFP, convoys of desperately needed aid have passed between Egypt and Gaza.

Queues formed early Wednesday at the terminal, and some 545 foreigners and dual nationals, along with about 90 sick and wounded persons, were expected to leave.

After being allowed into the terminal area, long queues formed around crossing booths for checks on passports and other documents.

Ambulances waited on the Egyptian side to take away the wounded and the sick.

The development came after Qatar intervened in the negotiations among Egypt, Israel and Hamas in coordination with the United States.

Growing international pressure to open the Rafah border crossing on humanitarian grounds also made the border crossing possible.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the first to be allowed to exit from the besieged Palestinian territory would be members of international organizations.

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said two Filipino doctors, whose identities were not disclosed, are expected to be part of the first group of foreign civilians to cross the border.

"The first to be allowed out would be members of international organizations. That includes the two Filipino doctors working with Doctors Without Borders," De Vega told the DAILY TRIBUNE.

"The two Filipino doctors are among the selected foreign nationals who have been allowed to exit Gaza and cross to Egypt, but this is just the initial list," he added.

Prioritize Pinoys

He said the Philippine government is coordinating with Israel to prioritize the exit of Filipino nationals from the Gaza Strip.

"We are engaging with Israel to prioritize Filipinos among nationalities to be allowed to exit first. Right now, they are prioritizing members of international organizations," he said.

According to the DFA, there are 136 Filipinos in Gaza, which is under Hamas control, with at least 57 at the Rafah border crossing, who expressed intent to return to the Philippines.

All 136 Filipinos are now accounted for after the DFA lost contact with them last Friday. Telecommunications are back.

"So far, no injured," he said.

In a separate briefing, De Vega said there are currently nine Filipino nationals in Gaza City, which the Israel Defense Forces are also targeting.

"They decided to go back because they got tired of waiting for the opening of the border. They've had difficulties in southern Gaza where foreigners are waiting to be allowed to cross," he said.

"They went back to their homes in Gaza City because the space is limited in the Rafah border crossing," he added.

Gaza City is the biggest city in the Palestinian territory. It is also the most attacked in the Gaza Strip.

Uncertain

How many people managed to leave via Rafah on Gaza's southern border with Egypt was not immediately clear. Still, live footage from the scene showed crowds of people entering the Palestinian side of the terminal.

Although more than 200 trucks of desperately needed aid have crossed into Gaza from Egypt, no people have been allowed to flee the battered enclave, with some 400 foreigners and dual nationals expected to make the crossing on Wednesday.

Foreign governments say there are passport holders from 44 countries, as well as 28 agencies, including UN bodies, living in the Gaza Strip, where 2.4 million people have endured more than three weeks of unrelenting Israeli bombardment in response to the 7 October Hamas attacks.

The tiny coastal territory has also suffered "catastrophic" shortages of food, water, and electricity following an almost total Israeli blockade in response to the attacks, the worst in Israel's history, that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, more than 8,500 people have been killed in the bombardments, two-thirds of them women and children.

Separately, Egypt said the first group of 81 seriously sick and wounded Palestinians would be allowed into Egypt for medical treatment on Wednesday, with television channels close to the Egyptian intelligence services broadcasting live images of a fleet of ambulances entering the terminal.

Palestinian sources said they expected 88 people to be taken across for treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

The decision to open the crossing came hours after an Israeli strike on the largest refugee camp in Gaza, where the health ministry said at least 50 people were killed.

Egypt on Tuesday condemned the strike on the Jabalia camp "in the strongest terms," warning against "the consequences of the continuation of these indiscriminate attacks that target defenseless civilians" in a foreign ministry statement.

Meanwhile, an AFP report said Hamas' armed wing would release in the coming days some of the foreign hostages in its captivity, as it vowed to turn Gaza into a graveyard for Israel's military.

"We have informed intermediaries that we will release a certain number of foreigners in the next few days," Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a televised address.

Around 240 hostages are believed to be held by Hamas at the moment in Gaza after the militant group attacked communities across southern Israel on 7 October triggering a fierce bombing campaign and ground incursion of the territory by the Israeli military.

Five hostages have been released to date, including four after negotiations through a diplomatic backchannel and one following an operation by the Israeli army.

The announcement came as a strike on Gaza's largest refugee camp killed at least 47 people Tuesday, including, Israel said, a Hamas commander involved in the 7 October attacks.                          

 With AFP