By Anietie anii-bassey
Palestinians gathered in anxious clusters on both sides of Gaza’s southern border with Egypt on Tuesday, waiting for news on whether they would be permitted to pass through the Rafah crossing after its much-anticipated reopening the day before yielded only a trickle of travelers and widespread confusion over who would be cleared to move.
On the Egyptian side of the border were Palestinians who had fled Gaza earlier in the Israel-Hamas war and later received medical care in Egypt, according to Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News television.
Across the fence in Gaza, buses brought patients in urgent need of treatment unavailable in the enclave from hospitals and aid centers, including convoys organized by the Palestinian Red Crescent from its headquarters in the territory.
The reopening of Rafah had been presented by mediators as a tangible sign that the fragile ceasefire reached in October might translate into humanitarian relief on the ground. Yet the first day underscored how tentative the process remains. More than 10 hours passed before only about a dozen people crossed in each direction — a mix of returning Palestinians and medical evacuees — far below the 50 travelers per side that officials had publicly projected.
For families waiting in the cold night air, the limited movement barely dented the vast backlog of need. Tens of thousands of Palestinians are seeking permission either to leave Gaza for specialized medical care or to return from Egypt after months or years away. Humanitarian aid and commercial goods, meanwhile, remain barred from entering through Rafah, further straining daily life in the devastated territory.
Early Tuesday, evacuation efforts focused on a Palestinian Red Crescent hospital in Khan Younis, where a World Health Organization team arrived to assess cases.
Ambulances rolled in from other facilities carrying wounded and chronically ill patients along with relatives who hoped to accompany them. The convoy later set off toward Rafah, joining a growing line of vehicles idling near the crossing as officials worked through lists of names and security clearances.
Health officials in Gaza said the pace of departures was nowhere near what was required after two years of fighting that have flattened neighborhoods, crippled clinics and left major hospitals struggling to function.
Doctors are contending with a steady stream of trauma cases, amputations and advanced chronic illnesses such as cancer, often without reliable supplies of medicine or electricity.
Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, described the slow trickle of evacuations as “crisis management, not a solution to the crisis.” In a post on social media, he urged Israel to allow the import of desperately needed medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, warning that continued restrictions amounted to a death sentence for patients who could not be treated locally.
Raed al-Nims, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, said that on Tuesday only 16 patients suffering from war wounds or chronic diseases were transported from Khan Younis to the Gaza side of Rafah, accompanied by about 40 relatives.
The organization, he said, had been told to expect permission for 45 patients to cross, highlighting the gap between official promises and what was unfolding on the ground.
Despite the frustrations, families clung to cautious optimism. In Khan Younis, Iman Rashwan said she waited for hours until her mother and sister finally returned from Egypt, hoping that others would soon be reunited with loved ones or gain access to lifesaving care. “God willing, the crossing will open for everyone, for all the sick and for all the wounded,” she said.
Officials involved in the process have suggested that numbers could gradually rise if the reopening proceeds smoothly, with Israel and Egypt jointly screening those allowed to leave or re-enter Gaza. But security concerns and bureaucratic disputes quickly dampened expectations that had been built up over weeks of diplomatic negotiations.
On Monday, one early sticking point involved luggage limits. Returnees arrived carrying more belongings than officials anticipated, prompting additional talks and slowing the process, according to a person familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Rotana Al-Regeb, who crossed back into Gaza late that night, said she was forced to leave nearly everything behind. “They emptied everything before letting us through,” she said. “We were only allowed to take the clothes on our backs and one bag per person.”
Israeli and Egyptian authorities have said that, for now, about 50 medical evacuees — each accompanied by two caretakers — would be permitted to depart Gaza, while a similar number of Palestinians who left during the war would be allowed to return.
At that rate, however, most of the roughly 20,000 sick and wounded people whom Gaza’s Health Ministry says require treatment abroad face months of waiting. Egyptian officials have said around 150 hospitals across the country are prepared to receive patients once approvals are granted.
Control over who and what passes through Rafah remains a sensitive political issue for both sides. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that anyone wishing to leave Gaza would eventually be allowed to do so.
Egypt, however, has repeatedly insisted that the crossing operate in both directions, wary that Israel could otherwise use it to permanently displace Palestinians from the enclave.
Amid the tense atmosphere, violence continued elsewhere in Gaza. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported that a 19-year-old man, Ahmed Abdel-Al, was shot and killed by Israeli troops Tuesday morning in an area of the city some distance from zones under Israeli military control. Israel’s military said it was not immediately aware of any shooting in that location.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Abdel-Al was among 529 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10. The ministry places the overall death toll since the start of the war at more than 71,800 Palestinians, a figure that does not distinguish between combatants and civilians but is regarded by United Nations agencies and independent analysts as broadly credible.
As families wait at the gates of Rafah with documents in hand and ambulances idle nearby, the crossing has become both a symbol of fragile progress and a reminder of how far Gaza remains from meeting the enormous humanitarian needs left by years of conflict.
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