Nearly 100 Britons are among the foreigners and Palestinians who will be allowed to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt on Friday. The Palestinian Border Authority has published a list that includes 92 British nationals out of a total of 127 names. Additionally, two Irish dependents, one Moroccan, 31 Palestinians, and one Palestinian dependent are also set to leave. Egypt has stated that it will not accept a large influx of Palestinian refugees in case Israel prevents them from returning after the war. However, in recent days, Palestinians with foreign passports have been allowed to cross the Rafah crossing at Gaza’s southern border. The Palestinian Border Authority reported that on Thursday, 342 Palestinians with foreign papers and 42 others crossed into Egypt. This followed Wednesday’s crossing of approximately 400 individuals, including an unspecified number of British nationals who were allowed over for the first time. These crossings are taking place as Israel continues its attacks in an effort to destroy Hamas after last month’s terrorist attack. On Thursday, Israeli troops completely encircled Gaza City, intensifying ground operations after weeks of aerial attacks. Chief of staff Herzi Halevy stated that troops were engaged in face-to-face battles in densely populated areas, inflicting heavy losses on Hamas and destroying its infrastructure. The fighting is expected to result in increased casualties as it reaches the crowded streets of Gaza City. The United Nations reported that at least 20 people were killed on Thursday when a school-turned-shelter in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza was damaged. The UN also stated that four of its shelters had been hit in the past 24 hours. Additionally, fifteen people died after an airstrike hit a residential building in the Bureij refugee camp, a few miles south of Gaza City. Israel has instructed people to flee the southern zone, but it has been repeatedly targeted. Israel claims to take great care to avoid civilian casualties but accuses Hamas of intentionally embedding itself among the population. According to Gaza’s health ministry, over 9,000 Palestinians have been killed and 32,000 wounded in less than a month. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the region on Friday to push for President Biden’s suggestion of a humanitarian pause. Blinken will hold talks in Israel and Jordan but faces challenges in convincing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stand down his forces. Despite strong support from Western governments for Israel’s right to respond to Hamas, there is growing concern about the number of deaths and questions about the proportionality of the counterattacks.
