The Rafah border crossing, which connects Gaza to Egypt, was reopened on Saturday to allow the evacuation of 37 sick and wounded children in need of urgent medical treatment.
The reopening comes as part of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, following the release of all surviving Israeli women hostages held in the enclave.
Meanwhile, three Israeli male hostages returned home, and 183 Palestinian detainees and prisoners were freed, most of them in Gaza and the West Bank, according to The Guardian.
Evacuating Children is a Priority
The Rafah crossing had been closed for nine months since Israeli forces took control of the surrounding area.
As the only gateway that does not connect to Israel, its closure had sparked international outrage, trapping most urgent medical cases inside Gaza and making humanitarian aid deliveries more difficult and expensive.
The resumption of regular crossings—albeit for a limited number of critically ill patients—marks a significant step in the fragile ceasefire agreement.
Fifty children were scheduled to leave Gaza on Saturday, but two died before they could be evacuated, according to Zaher al-Wahidi, head of the Palestinian Information Center at Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Others were in critical condition and could not be transported safely under current circumstances, while some families lost contact with doctors, further complicating efforts.
Even with the current cap of 50 evacuations per day, the number remains insufficient to meet the overwhelming medical needs in Gaza, al-Wahidi emphasized.
Last week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for the immediate evacuation of 2,500 children for urgent medical treatment, following warnings from American doctors that many were at imminent risk of death in the coming weeks.
