Ambulances carrying Palestinians seeking medical treatment drive on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip in northeastern Egypt. AFP
The patients crossed into Egypt through Rafah and were transferred to hospitals in North Sinai, primarily in the city of Al-Arish, where emergency services and intensive care units had been placed on high alert, according to the broadcaster.
Medical and administrative authorities were mobilized to facilitate the transfer process, with ambulances stationed at the crossing to transport patients immediately upon arrival, Al-Qahera News said.
North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer said the arrivals marked the start of the second phase of the Rafah crossing operation agreement, under which Egypt will receive injured Palestinians and patients suffering from chronic illnesses aggravated by shortages of medicine in Gaza.
He said the current phase allows for the entry of 50 medical cases per day, with one to two companions accompanying each patient, and that the governorate is overseeing logistical arrangements for both humanitarian aid deliveries and medical evacuations.
The patients initially gathered at the Karm Abu Salem crossing before being transferred to the Palestinian side of Rafah and then into Egypt, the report said.
Earlier on Monday, a group of 50 Palestinians returned from Egypt to Gaza, crossing through Rafah in the opposite direction, as part of a coordinated movement through the crossing.
Rafah has been operating from the Palestinian side for the first time since May 2024, following a trial run on Sunday, after months of closure amid Israel’s war on Gaza. The reopening is linked to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Egypt has played a central role in facilitating medical evacuations from Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023. According to official figures, more than 8,000 Palestinian patients have been treated in Egyptian hospitals, including over 5,000 surgical cases.
Additionally, Egypt has remained Gaza's primary lifeline, delivering more than 45,000 trucks, carrying over 800,000 tonnes of humanitarian and relief supplies, representing around 70 percent of all aid sent to the strip.
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