It is a glimmer of hope in the darkness of a war that has been going on for almost a month. Nearly 400 dual nationals and foreigners were due to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt on Thursday (November 2nd), a day after the first evacuations and the 27th day of a war between Israel and Hamas that has led to increasingly deadly fighting.
Since Wednesday, the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip has finally been able to reopen. There, in a hangar, those fleeing the bombing and have been able to get here are looking for their names on lists put up by the Egyptian authorities. Those who find their names and have their passports can then pass through, taking with them terrible images.
"There were a lot of security checks"
Five French nationals were evacuated on Wednesday 1 November, the Quai d'Orsay confirmed. One of them is René Elter, a French archaeologist who works for the NGO Première Urgence internationale. He was already stationed in Gaza before 7 October and the outbreak of the war. "The security conditions were in place to ensure its evacuation in collaboration with MSF," explains Olivier Routeau, the NGO's director of operations.
The wait at the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday was long: for about ten hours, René waited at the gates of Egypt. "There were a lot of security checks, as well as a lot of paperwork," the manager said.
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The gates finally opened around 17 p.m. On Thursday, the archaeologist was on his way to Cairo, a necessary stop before flying to Paris. "Medical tests will be carried out on his arrival in France, but he is in good health," says Olivier Routeau. The NGO says it remains mobilized, particularly regarding the evacuation of a Franco-Palestinian rescue worker, whose requests have still not been successful.
The other four Frenchmen were Doctors Without Borders rescue workers. "The operation was organised at the last minute, we were informed on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday," explains Claire Magone, MSF's director general. Our staff were distressed to know that they were stuck in Gaza, waiting with no real prospects, or at least no guarantees. They are now in Cairo and doing well," she said.
She said rescuers were "extremely relieved to be able to return home to their loved ones." An MSF medical and psychological team is available to them in Egypt.
7,000 foreigners could be evacuated
The evacuations, which were the subject of a tripartite agreement between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, with the involvement of the United States and Qatar, are a rare bright spot in a war that has already claimed thousands of lives. Olivier Routeau describes the negotiations that have been going on for three weeks, under the aegis of the United Nations. "It's a real relief," he says. Is this relief a factor of hope? Given the context in Gaza, we remain measured and cautious. »
Read alsoIsrael-Hamas war: departure of the inhabitants, return of the Palestinian Authority... What are the scenarios for the future of Gaza?
Hundreds of people are waiting at the border. Conversely, some are on the lists of people who can be evacuated but do not show up. Sometimes without electricity or internet, they can't always be warned.
The U.S. State Department has called on its citizens to check their email as regularly as possible, to be warned of their future possibility of crossing the border. In all, Egypt said it planned to evacuate 7,000 foreigners through the Rafah crossing, but did not provide specific details or a timetable.