Hundreds of injured residents and foreigners fled the war-torn Gaza on Wednesday, marking the first evacuations from the besieged Palestinian Strip after another refugee camp was hit.
Israeli missiles had relentlessly pounded Gaza in response to an unprecedented attack by Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "continue until victory" over Hamas.
The temporary opening of the Rafah border crossing provided a glimmer of hope, but it was short-lived as a subsequent Israeli strike pulverized buildings in Gaza's largest refugee camp for the second day in a row, resulting in numerous casualties, as reported by the Palestinian health ministry.
Gaza's southern border saw ambulances whisking away the wounded to Egyptian field hospitals, including one young boy with heavy bandaging around his stomach.
Families, laden with their meager belongings, hurriedly made their way through the heavily fortified crossing towards Egypt. The Egyptian government announced that it had granted entry to 335 foreigners or dual nationals, along with 76 individuals who were seriously wounded or ill. Among the evacuees were 31 Austrians, four Italians, five French nationals, and several Germans, according to their respective governments.
In the face of this humanitarian crisis, a senior aid official affirmed the UN's unwavering commitment to stand alongside the Palestinians in Gaza despite the challenges and dangers.
"I was shocked by the fact that everyone there was asking for food, was asking for water," Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), told journalists in Gaza.
The senior UN official who visited the territory Wednesday said he had "never ever seen" anything like it before in Gaza.
"UNRWA will stay with the Palestinian refugees in Gaza, with the Palestinians here in Gaza," Lazzarini said.
