In Gaza, Israeli forces will reportedly reopen the Rafah crossing into Egypt for only six hours a day and enforce strict travel restrictions on Palestinians. The Rafah crossing has been shuttered for two years due to Israel’s war and blockade and is being reopened as part of the so-called ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration between Israel and Hamas. Tens of thousands of sick and severely wounded Palestinians, including children, are eagerly waiting to leave Gaza for urgent medical care. Within the new restrictions, 150 people will be allowed to leave Gaza through the southern Rafah crossing, and 50 individuals will be permitted to enter the territory per day, according to Al Jazeera. Gaza health officials estimate over 1,200 Palestinians have died in Gaza while waiting for medical transfer due to Israel’s closure of the Rafah crossing. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports some 12,000 medical staff in Egypt are preparing to receive medical evacuees from Gaza, with hundreds of hospitals and ambulances ready to treat Palestinian patients, among them children who’ve lost limbs in Israeli strikes. This is Mohammed Mahdi from Khan Younis, who is getting ready to evacuate Gaza with a patient.
Mohammed Mahdi: “It feels like a dream, especially as my father — we had lost hope of him receiving treatment, and then they suddenly called us and told him to come to receive treatment and travel. This system, this system is a dream. A dream, I swear.”
This comes as Israeli forces continue their strikes across Gaza, killing at least 30 people, including six children, this weekend, in violation of the ceasefire. Some of the victims were taking shelter in tents. This was reportedly one of the deadliest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in months.