For the first time since the beginning of the Gaza war, the border has been opened wide for evacuations.
Wounded Palestinians and fleeing foreigners have arrived in Egypt, journalists on the ground report, but the wait is long and work is slow.
“The Foreign Ministry and the embassy in Cairo are in contact with local authorities and other countries in the face of a border opening that also includes Swedes,” writes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to TV4 Nyheterna.
About 90 injured people are to be taken from Gaza to hospitals in the northern Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, Egyptian sources told news agencies. In addition, around 545 foreigners and dual nationals are expected to leave Gaza via the Rafah border crossing.
At 4:30 p.m., local time, according to AFP, 335 people with foreign citizenships and 76 injured people had crossed the border.
According to the BBC’s reporter on the ground, only a single Palestinian border guard is working to check the passports of those queuing to cross the border.
No Swedes
The number of people who will be allowed to leave Gaza is said to have been mediated by Qatar with the support of the United States. It is the first time since the terror-labeled Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 that people are allowed to leave the Gaza Strip. According to CNN, the US hopes that around 5,000 foreign citizens will be able to leave Gaza at Rafah.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) tells TT that he has no information that Swedish citizens have yet come to Egypt from Gaza.
– If there is an opportunity for Swedes to come out, I have nothing new to say about it right now, he says.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that around 400 Swedes are in Gaza.
The Foreign Ministry wrote earlier on Wednesday to TV4 Nyheterna: “The Swedish embassy in Cairo is prepared for a possible opening of the border with Gaza and is ready to act consularly in support of the Swedes who would then come from Gaza in accordance with instructions given by the Egyptian authorities “.
Norwegian Foreign Ministry: Wait
How contact with foreigners in Gaza works is highly uncertain, as telecommunications are often completely cut off. According to AFP, the Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel states that both telephone and internet connections are slowly being restored.
Altogether, it is believed to be tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people who want to escape the chaos of war in Gaza.
But progress is feared to remain very slow – both Israel and Egypt are extremely careful that no fighters or other extremists from Gaza are allowed through.
Several countries’ foreign ministries have urged their citizens who are in Gaza to go to Rafah, but like Sweden, Norway urges its citizens to wait.
“We have not received information that Norwegian citizens are on lists of people who can cross the border at Rafah today,” is the message to the NTB news agency.