Egypt says it will help evacuate some 7,000 foreign nationals from Gaza

Egypt will help evacuate “about 7,000” foreigners and dual nationals from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, the country’s foreign ministry said, with the Egyptian Health Ministry announcing hundreds of new arrivals were processed Thursday.

The health ministry said 21 wounded Palestinians were brought out for treatment in Egyptian hospitals Thursday, and “344 foreign nationals, including 72 children” also passed through the Rafah border crossing.

It was the second day that Egypt had opened the crossing to let people out of Gaza after a first on Wednesday.

In a meeting with foreign diplomats, assistant Egyptian Foreign Minister Ismail Khairat said Egypt was preparing “to facilitate the reception and evacuation of foreign citizens from Gaza through the Rafah crossing,” a ministry statement said.

Khairat said that involved “about 7,000” people of “more than 60” nationalities, but the statement offered no specific timeline. READ MORE