Media: First 85 Russians to leave Gaza Strip today

The first 85 Russian citizens living in the Gaza Strip will leave the enclave through the Rafah checkpoint today, November 10, local portal Rafah Online reports.

According to the Gaza Border Crossings Authority, the Russians were included in the evacuation list. All evacuated foreigners should arrive at the checkpoint at 7:00 local time.

More than 500 Russian citizens are ready to leave the Gaza Strip due to the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a Russian citizen staying at the Rafah checkpoint on the border with Egypt told a TASS correspondent.

"Belarusians, Kazakhs also wanted to leave [the Gaza Strip], they said about a thousand [people were ready to go], but I think about some 500-700," she said when asked how many Russians were ready to leave the Palestinian enclave. The woman added that her husband, a Palestinian citizen, would not be allowed to leave Gaza on Friday. "They won't let my husband out, I'm traveling alone," she said.

On Friday, the Gaza Border Guard published a list containing the names of nearly 600 people with foreign or dual citizenship who will be allowed to leave the enclave through the Rafah checkpoint. The list includes 85 Russians, most of whom also hold Palestinian citizenship.

On November 7, a diplomatic source told TASS that everything is ready for the evacuation of Russians and citizens of other CIS countries from the Gaza Strip, but there is no consent from the Israeli side. On November 1, for the first time since the beginning of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the enclave's border service published a list of about 430 people who were allowed to leave the enclave through the Rafah checkpoint. On the same day, Reuters quoted a source as saying that Qatar and the US had mediated a deal between Egypt, Israel and Hamas that would allow the evacuation of foreigners and some critically injured people from besieged Gaza.