Israel-Hamas War: First evacuees leave Gaza after another night of Israeli bombardment

A group of civilians trapped in Gaza for over three weeks finally crossed into Egypt on Wednesday, thanks to a mediation effort by Qatar. Israeli forces continued their offensive against Hamas, bombing Gaza from the land, sea, and air.

The evacuees, who had been stuck in Gaza since the conflict began, were transported in ambulances through the Rafah border crossing, where they underwent security checks on the Egyptian side. This evacuation deal was brokered by Egypt, Israel, and Hamas and allowed foreign nationals and critically wounded individuals to leave the besieged region.

Despite this humanitarian progress, Israeli military operations persisted, causing further civilian casualties in Gaza. Hospitals struggled to function due to fuel shortages.

The conflict began when Israel sent its forces into Gaza, controlled by Hamas, in response to a deadly attack by the Islamist group on southern Israel on October 7. Israel's goal is to eliminate Hamas. However, the high civilian death toll in Gaza and worsening humanitarian conditions have raised global concerns, with shortages of food, fuel, clean water, and medicine becoming increasingly critical.