First evacuees leave Gaza from Rafah crossing

A first group of injured evacuees from Gaza have crossed into Egypt under a Qatari-mediated deal, Egyptian local media and a source at the border say.

The evacuees were driven in ambulances through the Rafah border crossing. Under the deal reached between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, a number of foreigners and critically wounded people will be allowed to leave the besieged territory.

A Palestinian border authority source and two Egyptian security sources said 81 injured people would enter Egypt for treatment on Wednesday.

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

Medical sources in Egypt's Sinai region, which borders Gaza, said a field hospital of four tents, each containing 20 beds, and 12 medical caravans had been set up in Sheikh Zuweid, 15km from Rafah.

Hospitals in Sheikh Zuweid and Al-Arish, a town a little further away, were also preparing to admit Gazan patients, with more difficult cases expected to be sent further out to Ismailia, the sources said.

A source at the border said 40 ambulances were at the crossing to take part in the evacuation operations.

In addition, 70 aid trucks were in the Rafah area, going through the process of checks required before they can go into Gaza, under an existing agreement with Israel.

It marks the first time people have been allowed to leave since Israel sent its forces into Gaza in retaliation for a major attack by Hamas on October 7.

Earlier Reuters reported Qatar had mediated an agreement between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, in co-ordination with the US, to allow for the movement of foreign passport holders and some critically injured people out of Gaza.

There is no timeline for how long the Rafah crossing will remain open for evacuation, the source added.

The agreement is not linked to other issues under negotiation such as the hostages held by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that governs Gaza, or pauses designed to ease a humanitarian crisis in the enclave which is suffering from food, water, fuel and medical shortages, said the source.

The Rafah crossing, controlled by Egypt, is the main entrance and exit point to Gaza from Egypt and is in a region tightly controlled by the Egyptian military, which battled an Islamist insurgency there that peaked after 2013 and has now been largely suppressed.

On Wednesday, communications and internet services were completely cut off in the enclave again, Gaza's largest telecommunications provider Paltel said.

Bids to reach Gaza residents by phone were unsuccessful early on Wednesday.

Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org confirmed Gaza "is in the midst of a total or near-total telecoms blackout consistent with" the weekend blackout.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the communication blackout would disrupt the work of first responders and make it harder for civilians to seek safety.

"Even the potentially life-saving act of calling an ambulance becomes impossible," said Jessica Moussan, an ICRC spokesperson.

Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas after several inconclusive wars dating back to the militant group's 2007 takeover of Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed international calls for a "humanitarian pause" in fighting to enable emergency aid deliveries to civilians.

with AP