The Egyptian authorities made it clear that they refused to allow foreigners in Gaza to enter their country if aid was not first allowed in for the 2.2 million people overcrowded in the strip.
US attempts to evacuate foreigners and Palestinians with dual nationality, including Americans, from the Gaza Strip this Saturday have been bogged down by requests from Egypt to first allow humanitarian aid to enter the Palestinian enclave.
All attention is focused on the Rafah crossing, between Egypt and the Gaz Stripa, and where hundreds of people were expected to leave this Saturday thanks to an agreement that the United States had negotiated with Egypt, Israel and Qatar, an American source told EFE.
However, after the deal was leaked, The Egyptian authorities made it clear that they refused to allow foreigners in Gaza to enter their country. if aid was not allowed in before for the 2.2 million people crowded in the strip.
As a result, An unknown number of foreign citizens waited for several hours at the border crossing hoping to cross but without receiving any response from the Egyptian authorities, according to testimonies cited by Egyptian television Al Qahera News.
In fact, this morning Egyptian authorities began placing cement blocks around the border with Gaza and reinforce security due to fear of attacks or possible attempts to enter Egypt from the Strip, according to what Egyptian security sources who requested anonymity told EFE today, although the Government of Egypt did not officially comment on this action.
A five-hour departure window
According to the aforementioned American source, the agreement that Washington had facilitated betweenand Israel and Egypt established that crossing through the Rafah crossing would be allowed during a five hour windowfrom noon to five in the afternoon, but that period expired without anyone being able to cross.
The United States had been coordinating with other governments and international organizations, including the European Union, for Egypt to allow foreigners and Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip with the passport of another country, indicated that source.
Faced with the possibility of this crossing being opened, the US State Department had asked US citizens in the Gaza Strip that, if they considered it safe, to approach the Rafah crossing, as there may be little time to cross.
Inside the Palestinian enclave, There are between 500 and 600 American citizensaccording to American media.
On the fringe, There are also 250 people of Spanish nationalityThe coordinator of the Spanish community in Gaza, Salah al Sousi, told EFE on Friday, although EFE could not confirm this information with the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem or with the Spanish Embassy in Cairo.
Furthermore, it is estimated that there are 28 Brazilians and about 150 people who have requested assistance from Canadaaccording to figures offered by the governments of those countries.
For its part, Canada announced on Saturday that in addition to its efforts to remove its citizens from the Gaza Strip through Rafah, it is drawing up plans to evacuate the 80 to 100 Canadians which are located in the West Bank.
Specifically, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Melanie Joly, revealed in statements collected by the media in her country that Canada has reached an agreement with Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) for Canadians in the West Bank to leave by bus from Ramallah to the Jordanian capital, Amman.
According to Joly, it is expected that Those evacuations begin Tuesday.
The importance of the Rafah crossing
Rafah is the only exit from the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel and the only way for humanitarian aid to enter the enclave.
Hamas asked Egypt this Saturday to “make maximum efforts” to reopen that crossing with the aim of evacuating the wounded and bringing supplies to the Strip.
Egypt’s decision to block for now the departure of foreigners and Palestinians with dual nationality responds to the fear that exists about a mass exodus, which could lead to scenes similar to those experienced in the 2009 Gaza warwhich lasted three weeks and led many Palestinian citizens to try to storm the border in search of refuge.
The area around the Rafah crossing has been bombed by Israelwhich has caused interruptions in border crossing operations, although Cairo maintains that the crossing remains open to “traffic”, without providing further details.
Meanwhile, The Israeli Army appears to be preparing for a ground invasion and has asked the 1.1 million Palestinians living in the northern Gaza Strip to move south, an ultimatum that has been strongly condemned by the Arab community.