Health ministry in Gaza says 50 patients left through Rafah crossing to Egypt

GAZA CITY: The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said 50 Palestinian patients went through the Rafah crossing to Egypt on Saturday, as the key gateway reopened as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.

Egyptian state-linked channel Al-Qahera News showed footage of the first of 50 evacuees and 53 companions, including a child with an autoimmune disease, crossing the border into Egypt to receive treatment.

“From the medical files, 50 were approved by Egypt. We hope for this number to increase,” said Muhammad Zaqout, the director of Gaza hospitals.

“We now have 6,000 cases ready to be transferred, and more than 12,000 cases that are in dire need of treatment.”

The Rafah crossing had been closed since Israel seized its Palestinian side in May.

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The crossing with Egypt was one of the main entry points into the Palestinian territory and a vital conduit for aid.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday the 27-member bloc had deployed a monitoring mission at the Rafah crossing “at the request of the Palestinians and the Israelis”.

“It will support Palestinian border personnel and allow the transfer of individuals out of Gaza, including those who need medical care,” she wrote on X.

The reopening of the gateway came as Israel and Hamas carried out their fourth hostage-prisoner swap of the Gaza ceasefire on Saturday, as part of a truce agreement that came into effect on January 19.

Hamas released three Israeli hostages in Gaza on Saturday in exchange for more than 180 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.