Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Israel on February 2 reopened Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt for limited traffic after almost two years of closure, but only five Palestinian patients were permitted to leave Gaza on the first day, medical sources told Al Jazeera.
It is the only crossing that does not pass through Israel.
A bus carrying 12 Palestinians, the first to enter Gaza through Egypt in nearly 18 months, has also completed the crossing. An Egyptian official had earlier said that 50 Palestinians would cross in each direction on the first day of the crossing’s operation.
A vital entry point for humanitarian supplies and exit for people awaiting medical evacuation, the crossing is being reopened as stipulated under the United States-brokered “ceasefire” to halt Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which came into effect in October.
However, Israel and Egypt are expected to impose caps on the number of travellers coming in and out of Gaza, and Israel will ensure intensive security checks on Palestinians entering and exiting.
The first ambulances carrying wounded and sick Palestinian patients from the territory arrived on the Egyptian side of the crossing.
Ambulances had waited for hours to ferry patients across the border, with the crossing finally happening after sunset.
European monitoring teams have arrived at the crossing, according to the Reuters news agency.
The European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) will administer the Palestinian side of the crossing, submitting a list of names of people wishing to leave Gaza, along with their final destinations, to the Egyptian side for vetting.
Security screening
Similarly, the Egyptians will submit a list of names of Palestinians wishing to enter, and they will be given permission the following day if they pass security screening, according to Israeli news reports.
For Palestinians entering Gaza from Egypt, the Israeli army has set up a checkpoint called “Regavim” in an area under its control outside the border zone, according to a statement on the Israeli military’s website.
Soldiers posted at “Regavim” will check the identities of those arriving against lists approved by Israeli intelligence agencies, and will conduct a thorough search of the Palestinians’ belongings.