Israel-Hamas war: Gaza evacuations through Rafah crossing suspended

A day after an Israeli strike on an ambulance in the Gaza Strip on Friday (Nov 3), the evacuation of injured Gazans and foreign passport holders through the Rafah border crossing to Egypt were suspended. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct 7, the Rafah crossing to the Sinai peninsula in Egypt has been the only exit point from Gaza not controlled by Israel. According to a report by the news agency Reuters on Sunday, US, Egyptian, and Qatari officials said that efforts were on to resume the evacuations.

Speaking to Reuters, a senior US State Department official said that the crossing would open later on Sunday. Evacuations through the Rafah border crossing started on Wednesday. Reuters reported that, unlike the previous days, Gaza's border authority did not publish a list of approved foreign passport holders and dependents.

An Egyptian official told the news agency that the Egyptian side of the border was open as usual for any evacuees, but that crossings were suspended because of bombardments in Gaza. Cairo was "making genuine efforts to resume activity," the official added.

Meanwhile, Qatar, which has played a major role in facilitating humanitarian aid and hostage releases, said it was also pushing to resume crossings but no timeline was set.

On Sunday, Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said, "The bombing of hospitals and the bombing of ambulances, which are part of this agreement for ambulance convoys to move patients out of harm's way, certainly does not help."

"We urge all parties, but especially the occupation army to make sure that there are safe routes and that the agreement, as it was reached, is respected," he added.