Sawt Falasteen - Gazans begin crossing to Egypt for treatment after partial Rafah reopening

Around 150 people were due to leave the territory on Monday, and 50 to enter it, according to Egyptian officials, more than 20 months after Israeli forces fighting in Gaza closed the crossing.

"Three ambulances have arrived so far carrying a number of the sick and injured, who were immediately screened upon arrival to determine to which hospital they will be transferred," an Egyptian health official told AFP.

The partial resumption of operations comes after Gaza's civil defence reported dozens killed in a wave of Israeli strikes over the weekend, in what the military said was retaliation for Palestinian fighters exiting a tunnel in Rafah city.

The border crossing with Egypt is Gaza's only gateway to the outside world that does not lead to Israel, and is a key access point for both people and goods.

Mahmud, a 38-year-old leukaemia patient from Gaza City, told AFP he felt lucky to be able to travel to Egypt for treatment after receiving approval from Israel to go with his sister.

"In Gaza, there is no treatment and no life... Of course, I am lucky, but I am still sad because my father and mother are still in Gaza," he said.

Ali Shaath, the head of a Palestinian technocratic committee established to oversee the day-to-day governance of Gaza, said Rafah's reopening offered a "window of hope" for the territory.

The partial resumption began on Sunday in a tightly restricted pilot phase that did not involve travel of people, and came after months of appeals from aid groups.

Khaled Mogawer, governor of North Sinai -- which includes the Egyptian side of Rafah -- said on Egypt's state-linked AlQahera News that 50 Palestinian patients and 84 of their companions were expected to enter Egypt on Monday.

Israeli state broadcaster Kan reported that the crossing would be open for about six hours daily, while AlQahera News said the Egyptian side would remain open "round the clock".

- 'I will hug my mother' -

Abdul Rahim Mohamed, 30, said he was eagerly awaiting the return to Gaza of his mother, who had left for cancer treatment in Egypt in March 2024.

"Two days ago, she was informed she could return to Gaza and told me on the phone, 'Come and wait for me at the crossing,'" he told AFP.

"I am very happy today... I will hug my mother," he added.

Rafah lies in an area held by Israeli forces following their withdrawal behind a so-called "Yellow Line" under the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire, in effect since October 10.

Israeli troops still control more than half of Gaza, while the rest remains under Hamas authority.

The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the opening of the crossing "marks a concrete and positive step in the peace plan" for the territory, where humanitarian conditions remain dire.

The Rafah crossing had been briefly opened in early 2025, but has been largely shut since it was seized by Israeli forces in May 2024.

US envoy Steve Witkoff, who had a hand in negotiating the ceasefire deal, will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, an Israeli official said, without confirming the location or subject of the talks.

Witkoff and fellow envoy Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu in late January and reportedly pushed for Rafah's reopening.

- No aid entry -

The director of Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, said there were 20,000 patients in the territory in urgent need of treatment, including 4,500 children.

AlQahera News, citing Egypt's health ministry, reported that 150 hospitals and 300 ambulances had been prepared to receive Palestinian patients.

It said 12,000 doctors and 30 rapid deployment teams had been allocated to work with those transferred.

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body coordinating Palestinian civilian affairs, made no mention of allowing in a long-hoped-for surge of aid for Gaza.

Israel had previously tied Rafah's reopening to the return of the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage held in the territory. His body was recovered and buried last week, prompting Israel to announce the phased reopening.

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliation has left at least 71,800 people dead in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, whose figures the UN considers reliable.

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L.Hussein--SF-PST