Egypt opens Rafah border crossing for Palestinians wounded in Israeli attacks

CAIRO – 16 May 2021: In solidarity with the Palestinian people against the ongoing Israeli aggression, Egypt opened on Sunday the Egyptian-Palestinian Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip, exceptionally, to receive the injured Palestinians from the strip.

The Egyptian Red Crescent office in North Sinai stated on Sunday that they are ready at the crossing to receive the injured at any time, assuring that they are working around the clock.

Omar Mohamed, director of the Egyptian Red Crescent in North Sinai, told Youm7 that the office provides vehicles for doctors to facilitate their movement to the hospitals. He affirmed that

local residents of North Sinai continue their efforts in coordinating with the Egyptian Social Solidarity Directorate in North Sinai and the Egyptian Red Crescent, besides a number of civil societies, to provide urgent needs for the wounded Palestinians in hospitals of North Sinai and the Patient Service Office at Arish General Hospital.

Three days ago, Egypt declared the state of readiness in three hospitals in a number of hospitals to treat the injured Palestinians who were wounded by the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian Authority for Public Health declared on Friday the state of readiness in three hospitals in North Sinai, including the Ismailia Medical Complex, Abu Khalifa Hospital, and June 30 Hospital, the authority said in a statement. It added that the Eid al Fitr vacation was suspended for the medical staff in the hospitals.

The hospitals have enough blood bags and a medicine supply, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, the Curative Care Sector at the Ministry of Health issued an order to send a number of medical personnel to hospitals in North Sinai (Bir El Abd hospital, Public Arish Hospital, and Sheikh Zuweid hospital) after declaring the state of emergency for receiving the Palestinians who were injured in Israeli shelling.

Shelling and airstrikes by the Israeli army against Gaza Strip since May 10 incurred 145 deaths, and 1,100 injuries, including 38 serious ones. Victims include 41 children while there are 313 children and 206 women among the injured, according to the Palestinian TV on Sunday.

The strikes also caused the destruction of more than 200 residential units and 31 educational establishments, including schools, colleges, and vocational training centers so as hundreds of families fled from the North to the South.