First Dutch people escape Gaza Strip, crossing border into Egypt: report

The first of the Dutch people who got stranded in the Gaza Strip when the war between Israel and Hamas broke out have crossed the border into Egypt on Thursday, a family member reported to NOS. It involves several members of the same family. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not confirm this yet.

This morning, the Palestinian Border Guard published a list of names of people who would be allowed to leave the Gaza Strip on Thursday. The list contained 400 names of foreigners and Palestinians with dual nationalities.

According to NOS, there were 20 Dutch people on that list, but it is unclear whether they all made it to the border to cross into Rafah in Egypt. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had contact with 27 Dutch people trapped in the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, the border opened for the first time since the violence started on October 7. A few hundred foreigners and several dozen injured and sick Palestinians were allowed to cross into Egypt. The border may also open in the coming days for foreigners to leave the war zone.