Hundreds Escape Gaza Using Rafah Crossing into Egypt

People have started leaving Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt for the first time since the start of the conflict. It has been reported around 80 injured Palestinians and 500 foreign nationals will be allowed to pass through the crossing today. Hundreds of foreign nationals have been trapped in Gaza since the start of the conflict. It is thought the opening of the crossing is the result of a deal brokered by Qatar between Egypt, Israel, Hamas and the US. Hamas, proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK and US, has maintained a political office in Qatar since 2012. Qatar, which also has friendly diplomatic relations with the US, has taken on a role as a mediator since the start of the conflict. The tiny Gulf state has also taken a leading role in negotiating for the release of hostages held by Hamas. On Tuesday Hamas announced it will release some non-Israeli hostages in the next few days. It said ‘mediators’ and ‘intermediaries’ had helped negotiate the release. #israel #gaza #egypt Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/ODNsubs TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ondemandnews Twitter: https://twitter.com/ODN Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ODN/ If you wish to purchase any of our clips for commercial use, please visit: http://www.itnproductions.co.uk/news/