Egypt opens Rafah to receive injured Palestinians

Egyptian authorities have opened the Rafah land crossing today to allow Palestinians wounded from the ongoing Israeli offensive to receive medical treatment,reported Ahram Online, based on a statement by the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo.

The move came in response to the military onslaught on the Gaza strip since Tuesday which claimed 70 lives. Fifty were civilians, according to Gaza medical officials.

Hospitals in North Sinai, which borders Gaza and Israel, have been put on standby to receive the Palestinians, the provincial governor was quoted as saying by state news agency MENA.

Meanwhile, Egyptian ambassador in Palestine Wael Nasr Al-Din said special wards have been designated to receive the Palestinians in the North Sinai town of Al-Arish, with medics volunteering to work extra hours. Serious cases will be transferred to the capital Cairo.

The web portal also reported that a delegation from Egypt's health ministry will head to the border to receive the first batch of wounded Palestinians.

Egyptian authorities have kept the borders closed since former president Mohamed Morsi was ousted due to security concerns and a burgeoning Islamist insurgency.

Egypt’s frequent closure of Rafah, the only border through which Palestinians can exit Gaza, has taken a toll on an estimated 1.7 million people living in an already dire humanitarian situation in the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip.

Egypt on Wednesday urged Israel and Hamas in Gaza to halt their escalating conflict that has claimed 70 lives.