Rafah crossing remains open to receive wounded Palestinians

CAIRO - 14 June 2020: Egyptian authorities continued opening Rafah border crossing to receive wounded and stranded Palestinians and allow humanitarian relief assistance into the Gaza Strip.

According to official sources, the crossing will remain open to allow entry of relief materials into the Gaza Strip for the reconstruction of the impoverished Palestinian enclave after the widespread destruction it witnessed due to last month’s Israeli onslaught.

Egyptian teams of engineers and technicians will also flow into the enclave to contribute to its rebuilding process, said the sources.

A number of ambulances were on hand at the crossing to receive injured Palestinians and those in critical condition and move them to Egyptian hospitals for treatment.

The crossing is open according to directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. This comes within the framework of the Egyptian efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian citizen in the strip, restore the normal life of people in Gaza and start the reconstruction process.

On May 7, clashes began between Israeli forces in the West Bank and Jerusalem and civilians as the latter were protesting forced displacement, particularly from Sheikh Jarrah in Eastern Jerusalem, and assaults on worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque. And, on May 10-20, Israel shelled and carried out airstrikes against Gaza Strip.

The violence and aggression across Palestinian territories incurred 243 deaths, including 66 children, and 6,039 injuries, as reported by the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA).

In Gaza Strip where most deaths occurred, injuries stood at 1,910. In the West Bank, 441 Palestinian protesters were shot with live rounds, and 172 were shot with rubber-coated bullets among other injuries caused by tear gas, and beating up. As for Palestinians who got detained in Jerusalem and the West Bank, the figure is 850.

The strikes also caused the destruction of more than 2,000 residential units in Gaza Strip while 15,000 others were partially damaged, according to AP. As a consequence, 50,000 Palestinians fled from the North to the South of Gaza Strip.

Last week, Head of the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) Heba Waly said that the manufacture of China’s Sinovac vaccine in Egypt will take between 8 to 16 weeks.

“We are racing against time to finish our work, as the manufacturing process will start within the current month” Waly said, adding that by the end of this year, VACSERA aims to produce 40 million doses of the vaccine.

Minister of Health Hala Zayed also said earlier that Egypt’s administration gives special interest in locally manufacturing the coronavirus vaccine.

Egypt plans to make Egypt a regional hub for producing the vaccine in Africa after meeting the local needs, as the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) would be the main manufacturer to the Chinese Sinovac in Africa, Zayed said while receiving Chinese experts from Sinovac at VACSERA HQ.