Uncertainty continued to hover on Saturday over a possible evacuation of foreign nationals stuck in the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing, towards Egypt.
The Israeli and Egyptian governments had nevertheless allowed American citizens to leave the Gaza Strip through Egypt, the New York Times reported Saturday morning, citing a US State Department official.
The time slot of noon to 5 p.m. local time was mentioned for the opening of this passage. But at the end of the day there, it was still closed.
The deadline passed without the hundreds of people gathered around the border post being able to cross it, testified a correspondent for the American network NBC News.
This exit door was also mentioned in Ottawa on Friday.
The Rafah border crossing could open between noon and 5 p.m. local time to allow the evacuation of foreign nationals, said an assistant deputy minister from Global Affairs Canada.
“We are not going to tell Canadians to move before having confirmation that they will be able to cross the border,” stressed Julie Sunday, quoted by the CBC network.
The update requested from the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, had not received a response as of Saturday morning.
It was not clear whether nationals of other countries could benefit from the US-brokered deal to cross at the Rafah border crossing, the source said. New York Times.
“It is certain, in my opinion, that Canada is in the process of seeing with all possible allies how to get Canadian nationals out,” Laurence Deschamps-Laporte, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University, told us. of Montreal and director of the Center for International Studies and Research (CERIUM).
PHOTO SAID KHATIB, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Egypt, which closed its border with the southern Gaza Strip last week, will reopen it on Saturday to allow the exit of foreign nationals, the Associated Press reported.
“Canadian practice is that as soon as we are able to negotiate with allies to get nationals out, we don’t let anything pass. I expect Canada to try as hard as possible to benefit from this agreement. »
Egypt, which closed its border with the southern Gaza Strip last week, will reopen it on Saturday to allow the exit of foreign nationals, the Associated Press also reported, citing Egyptian officials who requested anonymity. . The Israeli and Palestinian interlocutors agreed to facilitate these exits, said one of these sources. On the other hand, the passage of international aid in the opposite direction, from Egypt to the Gaza Strip, was still the subject of discussions.
The situation in this area remains very sensitive. The Rafah border crossing was still closed on Friday, following three Israeli bombings, AFP reported.
In any case, this emergency exit remains closed to Palestinians trying to flee to the south. Gaza residents must “stay on their land,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Thursday.
“The idea of opening camps just on the other side of the border by saying that the international community will finance them, Egypt does not want it,” summarizes Thomas Juneau, assistant professor at the École supérieure d public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa.
“She looks at Lebanon and Jordan where, since 1948 and 1967, refugees have still been there: the economic and social burden that this represents for these countries is enormous. »
Egypt fears finding itself “the owner of the problem”, especially since among the massive influx of refugees from Gaza would undoubtedly include Hamas sympathizers and militants, Mr. Juneau underlined in a telephone interview.
Additionally, the Egyptian region on the other side of Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula, is “very, very poor, has major social and economic problems and […] already has big problems with Islamic militancy,” he recalls.
The wall between Gaza and Egypt, which is “very, very short”, is itself an issue, adds Mr. Juneau.
“What happens if this wall is one day bombed, there is a breach and people start passing through? It’s going to be anarchy! And it would be done with absolutely incredible violence. »