Egypt Plans Help for 7,000 Foreigners Leaving Gaza

News reports cited Egyptian officials saying that 76 wounded Palestinians and 335 foreign passport holders were allowed to leave Gaza through the Rafah gate yesterday. Many more hoping to leave were left behind, however. Confusion reigned as hundreds of people, who had braved Israeli air raids to flock to the Egyptian border, found themselves stranded after the roll-call ended, reported the Associated Press. AP adds that the terms of the deal between Israel, Egypt, and Hamas—reached with the help of Qatar and the United States—remained shrouded in secrecy. Diplomats promised that more foreign passport-holders would be able to cross Rafah in the coming days. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said today that Egypt will help evacuate about 7,000 foreigners from Gaza. Assistant Foreign Minister Ismail Khairat told foreign diplomats that Egypt was preparing “to facilitate the reception and evacuation of foreign citizens from Gaza through the Rafah crossing,” reported CBS News.