First foreigners leave Gaza through Rafah border crossing into Egypt

Hundreds of foreign passport holders and the wounded trapped in Gaza started leaving the war-torn territory Wednesday as the Rafah border crossing to Egypt opened to them for the first time since the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel.

Footage showed the gate of the crossing on the Palestinian side of the border being opened Wednesday morning as people began to cross into Egypt for the first time since the war began. 

Convoys of desperately needed aid have previously passed between Egypt and Gaza but no people had been allowed through the Rafah crossing up until now. 

Some 545 foreigners and dual nationals along with dozens of sick and wounded were expected to leave. It remains to be seen how many of at least 400 American citizens the U.S. State Department says are stuck in Gaza will be able to cross the border Wednesday.

After being allowed into the terminal area, huge lines of those waiting to leave formed around crossing booths for checks on passports and other documents.

Ambulances began moving from the Gaza Strip to Egypt through the Rafah crossing on Wednesday, Arabic news channel Al Arabiya reported.

CBS News producer Marwan Al Ghoul had reported on Tuesday that among those crossing will be at least 81 people the Egyptian government is letting travel in ambulances from Rafah to Arish for medical treatment.

The zone around the terminal for the Rafah border crossing has been hit during Israeli air raids after the Hamas attacks, which Israeli authorities say left 1,400 dead, mostly civilians. Another 240 people were taken hostage.

Some of those being taken out for treatment in Egyptian hospitals are among what the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says are more than 15,000 wounded in retaliatory Israeli strikes, which the ministry says have killed more than 8,500 people, two-thirds of them women and children.

Meanwhile, internet watchdog Netblocks said in a social media post Wednesday that all of the Gaza Strip was in the midst of another internet blackout. 

There is “high impact to the last remaining major operator, Paltel; the incident will be experienced as a total loss of telecommunications by most residents,” the post read.