First evacuations from Gaza as Israel tries to retain focus

The first foreign nationals are leaving the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on the southern border with Egypt as the war-torn enclave is still reeling from a deadly blast at the Jabalia refugee camp in the north.

In an agreement mediated by Qatar between Israel, Egypt and Hamas, at least 320 injured civilians have used the Rafah crossing to leave Gaza today, a Palestinian official told Reuters. As yet, it is not known how many are British nationals and foreign secretary James Cleverly has said there are “no certainties” that Brits will make it safely into Egypt. According to the BBC, in this “first phase” of evacuations, as many as 88 injured Palestinians and up to 500 foreign or dual nationals will be allowed to leave Gaza.

Importantly, the agreement to open the Rafah crossing for critically injured Palestinians and foreign nationals is not linked to any other diplomatic arrangements such as a ceasefire, release of hostages or humanitarian pauses for aid distribution. 

This evacuation comes a day after one of the biggest Israeli strikes on Gaza since the start of the war. IDF fighter jets bombed the Jabalia refugee camp, reportedly killing a senior Hamas figure and destroying extensive underground tunnels. The Hamas-run authorities say the blast killed 50 civilians and injured a further 150. 

The humanitarian crisis is deepening. Phone and internet services are totally gone according to provider Paltel and the BBC World Service has announced that an emergency Gaza radio station will be active from Friday afternoon. Hamas says that the death toll has now exceeded 8,700. 

The worsening situation is a crucial reason for the opening of the Rafah crossing. Only two weeks ago, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said that should Palestinians be displaced into the Sinai peninsula, the Egyptians would “go out and protest in their millions”. Jordan’s King Abdullah II was in agreement: “No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt.” The worry is that Sinai could become a base where Hamas launches strikes on Israel, thus jeopardising Egypt and Israel’s peace treaty.

Despite these strong stances, last week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lobbied EU diplomats to pressure Egypt into accepting refugees. A Western diplomat said: “We didn’t take it [Netanyahu’s plea] very seriously because the Egyptian position is and has always been very clear and they just won’t do it.” Today has shown that there can be compromise as conditions in Gaza deteriorate. 

With the escalation in fighting, the UN relief agency in Gaza (UNRWA) posted a statement on X/Twitter today: “The level of destruction is unprecedented, the human tragedy unfolding before us is unbearable.” 

Israeli forces are now deep in Gaza. The IDF said that 15 Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting yesterday and one was killed today. What’s more, there are other fronts for Israel to worry about as it exchanges fire with Hezbollah on its Northern border and as of yesterday, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Still, the target remains the militant Islamists Hamas and a clip doing the rounds on social media today (from 24 October on Lebanese TV) has reminded the world why. Hamas Official Ghaza Hamad said: “Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country, because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished. We are not ashamed to say this, with full force.”

“We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again. The Al-Aqsa Flood [7 October attack] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight. Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it. We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs.”

Even if Israel accepted calls for a ceasefire, it is quite clear its enemies would not.

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