Approved by Hamas and Islamic Jihad
Egypt reopens blocked Rafah checkpoint in the afternoon
Israel agrees not to attack evacuation procession for 6 hours from 10 AM to 4 PM
Egypt, Israel and the United States have agreed to allow foreigners in the Gaza Strip to cross the border into Egypt through the Rafah checkpoint, a senior Egyptian official said on the 14th.
The official said Israel had agreed to refrain from attacking areas through which foreigners would pass as they fled the besieged Palestinian territories. He said Qatar was also involved in the negotiations and that participants had also received approval from Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Another Egyptian official at the Rafah checkpoint said they had received “instructions” to reopen the checkpoint on the afternoon of the 14th (local time) for foreigners arriving from the Gaza Strip.
However, negotiations to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza through the Rafah checkpoint are still ongoing without a conclusion, another official at the Rafah checkpoint said.
They all requested anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Israel had warned about 1 million Palestinians living in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip.
In fact, as the Israeli military launched a limited ground attack ahead of the expected ground attack, tens of thousands of Palestinians struggled on the 14th to escape from the northern Gaza Strip, where Israel had warned them to evacuate.
As Israeli airstrikes continued, families in cars, trucks, and donkey carts crowded the main roads leading out of Gaza City. Palestinian witnesses said Israel had attacked vehicles heading south, and Hamas said more than 70 people had been killed in the Israeli attack.
However, the Israeli military did not mention these airstrikes and posted an Arabic message on social media saying that Palestinians can move without harm along two main routes for six hours a day from 10 am to 4 pm local time.
[데리르 알-발라(가자지구)=AP/뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.