First Britons leave Gaza, describe ‘living nightmare’

The nightmare is over for them. The British finally leave the Gaza Strip. From 7 a.m. 92 people They have been ordered to cross the Rafah crossing, which controls Egypt, and they are beginning to pass slowly. A bus from the British Embassy in Cairo is waiting for them. They will spend the night in the Egyptian capital then leave for the kingdom.

They arrived at the crossing early Friday after the Palestinian Border Authority posted overnight a list of names of foreigners those who were allowed to cross.

He specified that people authorized to leave had to be “present from 7 a.m., in the exterior corridors of the passage, to facilitate their movement”.

A new list of people authorized to use the level crossing contained the names of more than 500 people, between them Italians, Germans, two Irish dependents, one Moroccan, 31 Palestinians and one Palestinian dependent. Some 342 Palestinians with foreign documents and 42 others crossed the border on Thursday, according to the Palestinian Border Authority.

The Rafah crossing is the only exit from Gaza that is not controlled by Israel. It was closed after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Egypt stated that will not accept an influx of refugees Palestinians in case Israel prevents them from returning after the war.

Neither Jordan, which has 60 percent of the Palestinian population, nor Egypt want Israel to take the opportunity to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip during the war.

The crossing was briefly opened for humanitarian aid to enter the besieged Palestinian territory. Some injured Gazans and foreigners have been allowed to leave in recent days as fighting in the region intensifies.

Doctors Without Borders assured that 20,000 people seriously injured in Gazawho must leave and demands a humanitarian truce.

Relatives of the Scottish Prime Minister

Relatives of Humza Yousaf, the Scottish first minister, have fled Gaza after being trapped since the start of the war.

Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, from Dundee, were among 92 British citizens allowed to pass through the Rafah crossing

A British citizen after crossing the Egyptian border from Gaza. Photo: EFE

Describing the last four weeks as “a living nightmare for our family”, The Prime Minister and his wife, Nadia El-Nakla, expressed their gratitude to those who provided assistance, including officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We are very happy to confirm that Nadia’s parents were able to leave Gaza this morning through the Rafah crossing,” he said.

“While we feel deep personal relief, we are heartbroken by the continued suffering of the people of Gaza. We will continue to raise our voices for put an end to the killing and suffering of innocent people in Gaza” He continued.

“We reiterate our calls on all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire and the opening of a humanitarian corridor so that significant quantities of aid, including fuel, can reach a population that has suffered collective punishment for too long, and that all the hostages be released. ” the Scottish First Minister said in a statement.

A media person injects a child after crossing the Egyptian border from Gaza. Photo: EFE

“Families in Gaza and Israel are suffering after the loss of completely innocent men, women and children. “We pray for them all and we pray that the international community will finally focus on achieving a lasting peace in the region: a peace that recognizes that the rights and lives of Palestinians and Israelis are equal,” wrote the Scottish Prime Minister.

Yousaf’s in-laws traveled to Gaza visit family before the conflict breaks out. They described how they tried survive without drinking water and “increasingly scarce supplies.”

The Scottish Government has donated £750,000 to support relief efforts and help displaced people in Gaza access food, water, shelter and medical supplies.

Those who stayed behind

One of the first Britons to flee Gaza told Sky News the “chaos” he faced while trying to escapeand his “heavy heart” for those who remain.

Liverpool surgeon Dr Abdel Hammad is among the first to cross the junction. He told Sky News it was a “huge relief” to do so, but He fears for the people left behind.

“It was very chaotic,” he said. “It took us about a whole day to reach Rafah and we arrived in Cairo at 4 a.m..”

Video

Raúl Incertis, from Doctors Without Borders, talks about the situation and everything he experienced in the Gaza Strip.

He said he discovered his name was on the Foreign Ministry’s list of people allowed to leave Gaza and attempted to leave on Wednesday afternoon. But The crossing was closed before I could pass and only managed to flee Gaza on Thursday.

“It’s been four weeks a terrible situation. “I’m very happy to be away,” he said. “I am very sorry for my colleagues in Gaza and my patients in this situation.

He described the destruction in the besieged Palestinian enclave as “heartbreaking” and warned that drug supplies are running low.

“I fear many patients will die.”, said. “Unfortunately, this is not a natural disaster. a man-made disaster and something must be done to stop all this destruction. »

A British doctor has his family of 16 stuck in Gaza. Dr. Ahmad Abou Faul said that two mothers and two children were not included on the starting list.

A Palestinian cries after being deported from Israel to Gaza on Friday. Photo: SAÏD KHATIB / AFP

One of his nephews is 4 months old and can go out, but his mother is not allowed. This means he must remain in Gaza, with his 2-year-old brother who is not on the list. The family is made up of Brits, Palestinians with dual nationality or wives of Brits.

Gazans return to Israel

Some leave and others come back. Before the October 7 attack, at least 16,000 Gazans had permission to work in Israel. Authorities arrested many of them and wrote a number on their leg.

This Friday, some began to be returned to Gaza.

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