Given the increasingly precarious situation in the Gaza Strip, the Rafah border crossing, which connects Egypt to the Gaza Strip, is currently the focus of diplomatic efforts. On the Egyptian side, countless trucks loaded with humanitarian aid goods are waiting to enter the country – in the Gaza Strip, hundreds of foreign citizens are waiting to leave. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who plays a key role in the tug of war over Rafah, announced on Sunday night that Rafah would be reopened.
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Peter Prantner (text), Dominique Hammer (image), Harald Lenzer (editing), all ORF.at
Foreigners could begin leaving the country as early as Monday, according to an agency report from an unnamed Egyptian source. Preparations for this have already begun. The import of humanitarian aid supplies should also be possible through the Rafah border crossing.
In the south of the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of people who fled north Gaza have recently arrived, water supplies are likely to be partially restored. Israel confirmed on Sunday that water pipes in the southern Gaza Strip had been restored.
The precarious situation in the Gaza Strip has caused horror among humanitarian organizations. “Gaza is being plunged into the abyss”, criticized the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). Evacuating hospitals within hours would be “an impossible task”, said the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a worsening “humanitarian catastrophe” in light of Israel’s call for the evacuation of civilians in Gaza.
“NYT”: Land offensive postponed
Behind the Israeli evacuation call is an apparently imminent ground offensive. The “NYT” reported that the Israeli invasion was postponed for a few days due to adverse weather conditions. The ground offensive was supposed to begin this weekend but was postponed due to cloudy skies and resulting difficulty in visibility for pilots and drones, the newspaper said, citing three unnamed senior Israeli officials.
The Israeli army announced on Saturday night an “integrated and coordinated attack by air, sea and land” on the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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