“We are prepared to handle all medical cases arriving through the Rafah border crossing, but the Israeli side controls the number of those entering,” Abdel-Ghaffar explained to journalists during the press conference.

The press conference was held as part of Abdel-Ghaffar’s visit to several hospitals in Arish and its surrounding areas to ensure the level of services provided to patients.

According to Abdel-Ghaffar, approximately 50 complex surgical operations on children injured in Israeli airstrikes have been performed so far.

Additionally, 150 ambulances are ready to receive the wounded at the Rafah crossing, he added.

The crossing has been open since Wednesday for seriously injured Palestinians as well as for foreigners and dual nationals fleeing the strip, per a recently reached deal.

Around 150 injured Palestinians and their escorts and more than 1,000 foreigners and dual nationals have crossed to Egypt over the previous three days, Spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority Wael Abu Omar told Sky News on Friday.

So far, the Palestinian death toll has reached 9,488, including 3,900 children, and the number of injured individuals is 24,158.

University hospitals
 

In another statement on Saturday, Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ayman Ashour affirmed that university hospitals are ready to receive casualties from the Gaza Strip.

According to Ashour, the hospitals are preparing specialized rapid response teams, coordinating with the Egyptian Ambulance Authority, reviewing medical equipment, and establishing a strategic reserve of additional medicines and emergency medical supplies.

He also noted that they are coordinating with the ambulance authority to prepare mobile medical insurance teams to provide field support.

Additionally, a mechanism has been established to exchange data on casualties and fatalities among university hospitals, critical care, and urgent care units, he added.