The US Embassy has ordered foreign nationals to evacuate to the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border as Israeli tanks prepare to enter the besieged Palestinian enclave.
In retaliation for Hamas’ despicable terrorist attacks on October 7, the Israeli military continued to punish Gaza with airstrikes. Tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers are preparing for battle as an invasion appears imminent.
In an urgent security alert this morning, the US Embassy said it had received information that the critical Rafah border crossing would open at 10am local time (8am BST).
The border crossing opened this morning to provide “life-saving” assistance to Palestinians lacking food, medicine and water in the Israeli-besieged area. Today’s convoy of 20 trucks will be the first to enter the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of war.
Authorities told detained U.S. citizens to expect a “potentially chaotic and disorderly environment on both sides of the border crossing.” An estimated 600 Americans live in the enclave.
The embassy urged foreign citizens to leave Gaza if they can, warning: “If the border is opened, we do not know how long it will remain open for foreign citizens to leave Gaza.”
They added: “The situation remains dynamic and volatile and the security environment is unpredictable.” “You should assess your personal safety before deciding to move towards the border or attempting to cross it.”
The opening of the Rafah border crossing comes after more than a week of high-level diplomacy by various mediators, including visits to the region by US President Joe Biden and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the aid was a “lifeline” for people suffering in the area.
Palestinians inspect the destruction following an Israeli attack on the Dhaheer family’s home in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah
The Rafah border crossing opened this morning to provide urgently needed assistance to Palestinians who are lacking food, medicine and water. In the picture: The first trucks cross the Gaza Strip
Egyptian soldiers are on site to oversee preparations to deliver humanitarian aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave
The US Embassy has directed foreign nationals to make their way to the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border
Israeli soldiers and armored vehicles are gathered at an unknown location near the Gaza border
Egyptian army soldiers are stationed in front of the concrete barrier that marks the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in Rafah
On the Egyptian side of the border crossing, aid workers could be seen singing and clapping as trucks drove through the main gate into Gaza.
Egypt is also opening a summit on the Gaza crisis today to try to avert a wider regional war. Egypt’s President Sisi said at the summit that he had called on leaders to reach an agreement to end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and get back on the path to peace.
This came as Hamas released hostages Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie after they spent nearly two weeks in captivity following their abduction from a kibbutz by the terrorist group.
The two traveled to Israel from their home in suburban Chicago to celebrate Jewish holidays, the family said. They were at the Nahal Oz kibbutz near Gaza on Oct. 7 when Hamas and other terrorists stormed into southern Israeli cities, killing hundreds and kidnapping 203 others.
The family has not heard from them since the attack and later learned from U.S. and Israeli officials that they were being held in Gaza, said Natalie’s brother Ben.
Her brother joked he was “annoyed” because she still looked “like a supermodel” despite her ordeal. Natalie’s father said afterwards that she was doing “very well” despite spending 13 days in captivity.
“She’s doing well.” “She’s doing very well,” said Uri Raanan, 71, who lives in a Chicago suburb, adding that neither her whereabouts nor her conditions in captivity were discussed.
“She didn’t tell me anything. But she told me that they were treated nicely and that she was doing very well. I will hug her and kiss her and it will be the best day of my life.”
President Joe Biden spoke with the two released hostages and their relatives. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which transported the freed Americans from Gaza to Israel, said their release was “a glimmer of hope.”
On Friday, Israeli armored vehicles gathered at an undisclosed location near the Gaza border in Israel
On October 21, a formation of Israeli tanks is positioned near Israel’s border with Gaza
An Israeli Merkava tank drives past a fence near Kibbutz Beeri near the Gaza border on October 20, 2023
The first convoy of aid trucks begins entering the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing
Palestinians wave flags as the first humanitarian aid since the outbreak of war is delivered to Gaza
Empty trucks wait at the Gaza-Egypt border near Rafah for aid trucks to enter the enclave
Volunteers gather around trucks carrying humanitarian aid that entered the Gaza Strip this morning
A worker organizes food aid after a convoy of trucks entered the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing today
Relatives of other prisoners welcomed the release and called for more people to be released. They were released on humanitarian grounds under an agreement with Qatar, a Gulf state that has often acted as a mediator in the Middle East.
Hamas said in a statement it was working with mediators to “complete the case” of the hostages if the security situation permitted. The group added that it was committed to mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and other countries.
Qatar said it would continue its dialogue with Israel and Hamas in the hope of achieving the release of all hostages “with the ultimate goal of de-escalating the current crisis and restoring peace.”
Elsewhere, the Israeli government sent a threatening message about the future, warning that it would “cut the umbilical cord” with Gaza to create “a new security reality” and block all border crossings after destroying Hamas in a ground invasion be.
Israel will establish a buffer zone in the Gaza Strip after the end of the war, Israel’s Agriculture Minister Avi Töpfer said on Thursday.
In comments that appeared to refer to the establishment of a buffer zone in the coastal strip, Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Wednesday: “At the end of this war, not only will Hamas no longer be in Gaza, but the Gaza area will also decrease.” .
In a photo released by the US Embassy in Israel on Friday evening, released hostages Natalie Raanan and her mother Judith are seen talking to Joe Biden
Judith Raanan is seen being escorted out of Gaza on Friday, with her daughter Natalie to her right
Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan arrived back in Israel late Friday, the Israeli government confirmed
Israel has called on its own citizens to leave Egypt and Jordan immediately as regional tensions continue to rise over the war in Gaza.
“Israel’s National Security Council raises its travel warnings for Egypt (including Sinai) and Jordan to Level 4 (high threat): recommending not to travel to these countries and for those who are there to leave…as soon as possible,” it said National said the Security Council in a statement.
The announcement comes just days after Israel recalled its diplomats from Turkey for security reasons, after also asking its citizens to leave Turkey.
The evacuation calls came after days of protests across the Middle East against Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip.
The war erupted after Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip, taking more than 200 hostages and killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burned, according to Israeli officials.
Israel has since vowed to destroy Hamas, and a bombing campaign launched in response has leveled entire city blocks in Gaza and killed 4,137 Palestinians, mostly civilians, so far, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers and dozens of tanks and armored vehicles are now lined up at the border – ready for a ground attack on the Gaza Strip.
With innocent civilians caught in the crossfire, there is relief that the Rafah border crossing was opened today to allow humanitarian assistance.
James Cleverly said aid flowing into Gaza through the Rafah crossing was a “lifeline”. However, he said access must be maintained to provide humanitarian assistance.
He said: “Trucks carrying life-saving supplies are starting to enter Gaza via Rafah.” This aid is a lifeline for those suffering. But it shouldn’t be an isolated case. “The UK continues to push for humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.”
Martin Griffith, UN humanitarian chief, said: “I am confident that this delivery will be the start of a sustained effort to deliver essential supplies to the people of Gaza.” But he added: “This first convoy must not be allowed.” be the last.”
The Hamas media official reportedly said that the 20 trucks “will not change the disastrous medical conditions in Gaza.”
UN chief Guterres called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the war and called for global “action to end this terrible nightmare”.
Israel sealed off the area for two weeks, forcing the 2.3 million Palestinians, half of whom have fled, to ration food and drink dirty water from wells. Hospitals say they are running out of medicine and fuel for emergency generators due to a nationwide power outage.
This satellite image taken on October 20, 2023 shows a view of humanitarian aid trucks moving in a convoy near Sheikh Zuwayed in Egypt’s North Sinai province, en route to the Rafah border crossing between northeastern Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip. Cargo planes and trucks have been bringing humanitarian aid to Rafah for days, but none has yet been delivered to Gaza
Egyptian army soldiers are deployed near the gate of the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing
Satellite images show the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing in urgent need of assistance
People protest against Israeli attacks on Gaza during UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to the Rafah border crossing on October 20
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (center) speaks in front of the gate on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing on October 20
Many in Gaza, reduced to eating just one meal a day and without enough water to drink, are desperately waiting for help that arrived in Gaza this morning.
Twenty trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is responsible for delivering aid from various UN agencies, entered the Egyptian terminal.
The release of the US embassy came amid growing expectations of a ground offensive that Israel says aims to eradicate the militant group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years. Israel said on Friday it had no plans to take long-term control of the tiny territory.
Two large explosions were reported early Saturday in northern Gaza, and rockets triggered air raid sirens in a nearby Israeli town.
A possible Israeli ground attack is likely to lead to a dramatic escalation in casualties on both sides in urban fighting.
Hamas has continued to fire relentless rocket attacks on Israel since October 7 – more than 6,900 projectiles, according to Israel.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke to MPs about Israel’s long-term plans for Gaza, laying out a three-stage plan that suggested Israel had no intention of reoccupying the territory it abandoned in 2005.
First, Israeli airstrikes and “maneuvers” – a presumed reference to a ground attack – would be aimed at eradicating Hamas. Next comes a lower intensity battle to defeat the remaining pockets of resistance. And finally, a new “security regime” will be created in Gaza and “Israel’s responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip will be abolished,” Gallant said.
Gallant did not say who Israel would likely rule Gaza if Hamas were toppled or what the new security regime would entail.
Israel occupied Gaza from 1967 to 2005, when it tore up settlements and withdrew soldiers. Two years later, Hamas took power. Some Israelis blame the withdrawal from Gaza for the five wars and countless smaller exchanges of fire since then.
Palestinians gather over the remains of a destroyed house after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Friday, October 20, 2023
Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, seen from Ashkelon, southern Israel, October 20, 2023
Rockets are fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Friday, October 20, 2023.
Palestinians walk past buildings destroyed in the Israeli bombing of al-Zahra on the outskirts of Gaza City, Friday, October 20, 2023
The humanitarian crisis facing civilians in the Gaza Strip has worsened day by day since Israel stopped the delivery of aid.
Over a million people have been displaced in Gaza. Many followed Israel’s orders to evacuate the isolated enclave on the Mediterranean coast from north to south. But Israel has continued to bomb areas in southern Gaza where Palestinians had been told to seek safety, and some appear to be returning to the north because of the bombings and difficult living conditions in the south.
Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals rationed their dwindling resources.
Generators at Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest hospital, were operating at the lowest level to save fuel while providing power to vital departments such as the intensive care unit, said hospital director Mohammed Abu Selmia. Others worked in the dark. The lack of medical supplies and water makes it difficult to treat the large number of victims of Israeli attacks, he said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had received a threat from the Israeli military to bomb Al-Quds Hospital. It said Israel had called for the immediate evacuation of the Gaza City hospital, which is home to more than 400 patients and thousands of displaced civilians who sought refuge at the site.
More than 200 trucks and around 3,000 tons of relief supplies are stationed near the crossing. Israel said the supplies could only go to civilians and that it would “thwart” any diversions by Hamas. It was unclear whether fuel for the hospital generators was allowed to enter.