The first batch of Palestinian patients and injured, who were received by Egyptian ambulances and health personnel to provide medical services to them, will receive treatment at Egyptian hospitals.
In addition, eight Palestinian prisoners who were released from Israeli jails within the ceasefire agreement in Gaza also arrived at the Rafah crossing to be deported from Palestinian territories.
According to Al-Qahera News, seven of those sent into exile are Palestinians, while the eighth has a dual Egyptian Palestinian nationality. They have been in detention since 2002. This is the second group to be exiled from the Palestinian territories after 70 Palestinians were deported on 25 January during the second prisoner swap. No exiled individuals were reported during the third exchange on Thursday.
Since Hamas and Israel reached the agreement, Egyptian authorities, specifically in North Sinai, have prepared to receive the injured from Gaza and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the strip.
Al-Qahera News reported that buses carrying patients, the injured, and their companions departed after gathering at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza and Nasser Hospital in the south.
Palestinian media also reported that most of the patients travelling to Egypt are children suffering from cancer and heart diseases and individuals injured during Israel's brutal war on Gaza.
A World Health Organization (WHO) team reviewed the patients' names before allowing them to board the buses.
According to WHO, around 14,000 people still need to be evacuated from Gaza for medical reasons.
The Rafah crossing, a crucial entry point into Gaza, was closed in May 2024 after the Israeli military seized control of the Palestinian side of the crossing, blocking the entry of the majority of aid to the strip.
Egypt sent hundreds of aid convoys to the strip immediately after the three-phase ceasefire agreement agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect on 19 January.
Short link: