From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Israel reportedly bombs crossing between Gaza and Egypt
Gianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel
The Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt comes under Israeli fire again, blocking the only land exit from the coastal enclave, according to a report in the Washington Post.
The bombing, which occurs a few minutes after a warning was conveyed to Gazan officials operating it, comes in spite of the fact that the Israeli military this morning advised Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt amid the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group.
“Rafah crossing is still open. Anyone who can get out, I would advise them to get out,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said in a call with foreign reporters.
On Monday, Egyptian officials warned against pushing Gazan civilians toward the Egyptian borders and denounced Israeli calls for mass displacement, according to Egyptian media sources.
The Rafah crossing was open this morning, but Egypt only allowed through Palestinians who’d already gotten authorization to leave the Strip.
On the Rafah crossing’s Facebook page, Gazans lamented the decision to not open the crossing for anyone wishing to leave, with one user writing: “Interior Ministry, this is not the time to put someone in danger who survived a bombing and miraculously reached the crossing. We cannot return to death.”
