Qatar-brokered deal allows for limited evacuations from Gaza: Reuters

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
1 Nov 2023 11:16

The deal will facilitate the evacuation of foreign passport holders in Gaza and those who are severely injured.

Palestinians wait at the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in Rafah, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 (AP)

Reuters reported that Qatar, in coordination with the US, has brokered a mediation agreement between Egypt, "Israel", and Hamas.

The purpose of this agreement is to facilitate the movement of foreign passport holders and critically injured individuals out of the besieged Gaza Strip through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing, an informed source told Reuters.

#Watch | Ambulances pass into the #Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing to transport 81 critically injured individuals to #Egyptian hospitals in el-Arish. pic.twitter.com/ihDkCrlbxM
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 1, 2023

There was no specific timeframe mentioned regarding how long the Rafah crossing would remain open for evacuation, leaving this aspect subject to further negotiation and discussions.

Importantly, this particular agreement is not directly linked to other ongoing negotiations, including Israeli captives held in Gaza. Additionally, it does not address the broader severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Gaza has been grappling with severe shortages of essential resources such as food, water, fuel, and medical supplies.

#Watch | Aid trucks pass from the #Rafah Crossing to #Gaza this morning. pic.twitter.com/8mZBonkWPo
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 1, 2023

Later, an Egyptian security source said after the deal that up to 500 foreign passport holders would pass through the Rafah border on Wednesday.

About 200 people were waiting at the Palestinian side of the border on Wednesday morning, the source said.

A second source with knowledge of the deal and evacuations said there was a list of up to 500 who would leave the Gaza Strip, but that not all were expected to make it out on Wednesday.

Last week, senior negotiator and Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi said that Qatar undertook a "very, very difficult negotiation" between Hamas and "Israel"

"It's a very, very difficult negotiation that we've been dealing with," the top Qatari diplomat told Sky News, before adding that the Palestinian Resistance and the Israeli Occupation have "zero confidence in each other."

Al-Khulaifi also added that "the violence increases every day and with the bombing continuous every day, our task has become even more difficult," stressing that "If the mediator wants to perform its task in the best way possible as a state, then we need to reach a period of calm."

The Qatari diplomat also emphasized that "any escalation whatsoever is going to make our job really harder. Any escalation whatsoever. So we're trying to send those messages to our partners and friends," reaffirming that "We need to reach a period where we can speak logically to both sides and come up with positive initiatives."