Habib Siddiqui: Thousands wait for evacuation from Gaza as Rafah crossing reopens

Israel has reopened the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt on a trial basis after nearly two years.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says 20,000 patients are at risk of death and need medical evacuation, while Israel has not provided details on how many will be allowed to exit for treatment and when.
In one of the bloodiest days since an October “ceasefire” took hold, at least 31 Palestinians – including six children – have been killed in multiple Israeli air raids on northern and southern Gaza.
Israeli forces have now killed at least 509 Palestinians and wounded 1,405 others since the start of the “ceasefire”.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 71,769 people and wounded 171,483 since it began in October 2023. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led, October 7, 2023 attacks, with about 250 taken captive.

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1m ago
(22:00 GMT)
WATCH: Son of cancer patient in Gaza fights to evacuate father for urgent treatment
Around 4,000 patients are suffering from cancer, waiting to be medically evacuated.
Sixty-five-year-old Abed El Halim Abo Askar is one of them, battling prostate cancer for four years.
Abed was scheduled to have an operation on October 10th, 2023, but three days before that, Israel launched its war, postponing his urgently needed treatment.
Abed’s son, Ahmed Abo Askar, is trying to have his father evacuate the Strip for cancer treatment:
12:25
Son of cancer patient in Gaza fights to evacuate father for urgent treatment
16m ago
(21:45 GMT)
Israeli settlers attack town of Sinjil
Wafa news agency reports that armed Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian land on the outskirts of the town, which is northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
The settlers fired shots at the residents of Sinjil who confronted them, before withdrawing, Wafa says.
31m ago
(21:30 GMT)
EU official condemns Israel’s ‘repeated violations’ of ceasefire agreement
The European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management condemned Israel’s repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement and its ongoing attacks in the Gaza Strip.
“We condemn the repeated violations of the ceasefire in Gaza, where hundreds of Palestinians were killed and injured by Israeli strikes over the weekend,” Hadja Lahbib wrote on X.
“International humanitarian law must be upheld. Civilians must be protected everywhere, at all times,” she added.
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46m ago
(21:15 GMT)
WATCH: Gaza’s daily nightmare vs US talk of AI-driven smart cities
United States plans for Gaza amount to a “theme park of dispossession” for Palestinians, argues Drop Site News Middle East Editor Sharif Abdel Kouddous.
Abdel Kouddous told Al Jazeera’s The Bottom Line that the draconian measures planned for the two million shell-shocked Palestinians in Gaza are an Orwellian labyrinth of biometrics, bureaucracy and “a lab for government surveillance” – all meant to drive them out.
Watch the discussion below:
25:03
Gaza’s daily nightmare vs US talk of AI-driven smart cities
1h ago
(21:00 GMT)
Casualties in Israeli attack on south Lebanon rise
The country’s Ministry of Public Health says that at least six people were wounded in an attack on Harouf, in the Nabatieh governorate of southern Lebanon.
Israel claimed that this strike, which targeted a car, was aimed at assassinating a member of Hezbollah. The group has not yet commented on these claims
1h ago
(20:45 GMT)
Palestinians hopeful as Rafah set to reopen for movement of people, but questions remain
As the crossing is preparing to officially reopen for the limited movement of people after more than two years of being shut by the Israeli army, Palestinians in Gaza are wary.
“Opening the crossing is a good step, but they set a limit on the number of people allowed to cross, and this is a problem,” Ghalia Abu Mustafa, a woman from Khan Younis, told the Associated Press.
Al Jazeera has not received any information from Gaza’s authorities about how many people seeking desperately needed medical treatment abroad will be allowed to travel through the crossing into Egypt. It is also unclear if Israel will allow people back in once they receive treatment.
“We want a large number of people to leave, for it to be open so that sick people can go and return,” said Suhaila Al-Astal, a woman displaced from the city of Rafah who said her sick daughter needed help abroad. “We want the crossing to be open permanently.”
1h ago
(20:30 GMT)
Israeli forces close entrances to town southeast of Bethlehem
Israeli forces closed the entrances to the town of Tuqu, southeast of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
The mayor of Tuqu, Taysir Abu Mufreh, told Wafa news agency that troops closed the secondary entrances in Khirbet al-Deir, the Halqum area.
Mufreh noted that the northern and western entrances to the town have been closed since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip.
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1h ago
(20:15 GMT)
In case you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed on the latest developments:
Israel’s military carried out a strike on a car in the Lebanese town of Harouf, claiming it was targeting a member of Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency confirmed Israel’s strike, saying it caused one person to be wounded.
Israeli forces have conducted a series of forced evacuation orders in villages across the occupied West Bank inlcuding in east Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem.
The leaders of Egypt and Jordan have reiterated their rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians as the Rafah crossing reopens.
The foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have “strongly condemned” Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, which have led to the killing and injuring of “more than a thousand” Palestinians.
2h ago
(20:00 GMT)
Israel completes screening checkpoint for Palestinians moving through Rafah crossing
The Israeli army says that it has completed a complex that will serve as a screening facility for Palestinians passing in and out of the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing into Egypt, which will be open for the movement of some people tomorrow.
“Security forces at the checkpoint check the identities of those entering against lists approved by the Israeli security establishment and conduct a strict inspection of their luggage,” the Israeli army wrote in a press release.
Israel has said it will be placing those coming and going from Gaza under intense scrutiny. The crossing is the only way to leave the Gaza Strip without passing through Israeli territory.
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2h ago
(19:45 GMT)
Rafah reopening operation trial for Monday official opening: Report
The Israel Broadcasting Authority has reported that the trial operation of opening the Rafah crossing today was paving the way to its official opening tomorrow.
As part of plans to reopen the crossing, which has been closed for nearly two years, a limited number of Palestinians will be allowed to enter and leave the war-ravaged enclave.
Those needing to leave Gaza for medical reasons will be given priority, and then it will be open for other residents.
(Al Jazeera)
2h ago
(19:30 GMT)
WATCH: Palestinians express fragile hope as Rafah crossing reopens under strict Israeli control
The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is reopening in a limited capacity after being shut for nearly two years, with the movement of people beginning tomorrow.
Verification systems are being tested at the site with representatives from the European Union and Egypt present.
Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili spoke to Palestinians to see how they are feeling about what’s next:
1:42
Palestinians express fragile hope as Rafah Crossing reopens under strict Israeli control
2h ago
(19:15 GMT)
How Western officials, media coverage pushed to discredit Gaza death toll
ByAli Harb
In the first 18 days of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military killed more than 7,000 Palestinians, including nearly 3,000 children, despite growing calls from around the world for a ceasefire.
But in the United States, Israel’s top ally, then-President Joe Biden cast doubt over the suffering and death count of Palestinians, as provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza, to push back against calls for ending the brutal Israeli assault.
“What they say to me is I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war,” Biden said in October 2023.
“But I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using,” he said.
More than two years later, as the Palestinian death toll grew tenfold, the Israeli military acknowledged that it killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, confirming the Health Ministry’s data.