Israel-Hamas war: British doctor in Gaza told by Foreign Office to prepare to cross into Egypt via the Rafah crossing
A Briton in Gaza said he has been told “be ready to go” by the UK’s Foreign Office as he waits to cross the border into Egypt.
Dr Abdel Hammad, a surgeon at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, arrived in Gaza on 6 October, a day before the attack on Israel by Hamas.
In an update to Sky News on Wednesday, Dr Hammad said he is still about 5km from the Rafah crossing, and is waiting to be allowed through.
It comes as the first group of injured evacuees from Gaza have moved over the border.
President Joe Biden said American citizens are expected to be among the first group of foreigners able to leave Gaza for Egypt via the Rafah crossing today.
“We expect American citizens to exit today, and we expect to see more depart over the coming days,” he wrote on social media platform, X.
It comes after a deal, mediated by Qatar, was struck between Egypt, Israel, and Hamas, to open the crossing to foreign and dual nationals currently trapped in Gaza.
Dr Abdel Hammad
The Palestinian General Authority for Crossing and Borders has published a list of more than 500 people, including 320 foreign passport holders, who will be allowed to leave via the crossing today.
It is still not known for certain if any British nationals were among the people referenced in the report.
The Foreign Office has given a full list of names of British Nationals and dependants in Gaza to Israeli and Egyptian authorities.
It said it is pressing at the most senior levels for all British Nationals to be able to cross as soon as it is practically possible.
Palestinians cross to the Egyptian side of the border. Pic: AP
Meanwhile, a Manchester school teacher trapped inside Gaza with 10 members of her husband’s family has told Sky News that British nationals could not cross the Rafah border today.
A spokesperson for Scotland’s first minister, whose wife’s parents are currently in Gaza, also said it was their understanding that British nationals were “not at present” included on the list of those being able to leave.
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Crowds enter Rafah crossing from Gaza
Footage broadcast on Egyptian state TV – and seen by Sky News – shows injured people being transported in ambulances across the border from the Gaza Strip.
Egypt’s health ministry says more than 80 wounded Palestinians are to be brought into the country for treatment, and a field hospital has been set up in an Egyptian town near the crossing.
The Italian foreign minister confirmed that four Italian citizens, one of whom was accompanied by his Palestinian wife, were also among those who have already left Gaza.
In other developments:
• The UK’s foreign secretary says teams are ready to assist British nationals in Gaza as soon as they are able to leave;
• The Israel Defence Forces says 16 of its troops have been killed in Gaza since Tuesday;
• Hamas claims seven hostages have been killed during a strike on a refugee camp in Gaza
Meanwhile, the UK’s Foreign Office says it understands the Rafah crossing will open for “controlled and time-limited periods” to let “specific groups” of foreigners and seriously wounded people leave Gaza.
The departure of British nationals “will take place in stages over the coming days,” according to the ministry.
“We have been working at every level of government to ensure the Rafah crossing could open and allow all British nationals to leave Gaza,” the department said in a statement.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly says UK teams are ready to assist British nationals in the Gaza Strip as soon as they are able to leave.
UK officials have been sent to the area to provide support, the foreign office added.
However, a spokesperson for Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf says it is their understanding that “at this stage UK nationals are not at present included in this initial list of countries whose nationals can cross”.
“We welcome that the Rafah crossing looks set to be opened for a number of foreign nationals,” the spokesperson said.
“The first minister has been in contact with the foreign secretary this morning.
“We continue to liaise with the UK government and urge them to work with the Egyptian authorities so that all UK nationals can urgently leave Gaza as quickly as possible.”
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Crowds enter Rafah crossing from Gaza
According to the spokesperson, the first minister’s wife, Nadia, has spoken to her mother today, but the family remains “trapped in Gaza, without clean drinking water, and rapidly diminishing supplies”.
Rafah is Gaza’s only gateway to the rest of the world not directly controlled by Israel.
It is under the control of Egypt as part of an agreement with Israel and the European Union.
However, it has never been a normal, fully open border crossing and is tightly controlled by authorities in Cairo.
Read more:
What is the Rafah border crossing and who controls it?
How far has Israel got into Gaza?
Earlier, a convoy of Egyptian ambulances were seen waiting to go through the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side
Over the years it has been closed for days, weeks and months at a time. When it does open it’s often intermittent and can suddenly close again.
It has been closed to civilians wishing to cross into Egypt since the start of last month’s conflict between Israel and Hamas – though a number of aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former “thug” and “pit bull”, has been accused of lying about a phone call he says he made to the former US president about payments to ex porn star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen, a lawyer who worked for the Trump Organisation from 2006 to 2017, has been giving evidence in the case about hush money payments to Ms Daniels – in an attempt to cover up an alleged sexual encounter in 2006.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, called into question an important detail – a phone call made by Cohen to Trump’s assistant, Keith Schiller, on 24 October 2016.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Cohen, 57, has maintained that during that call he spoke to Trump (who was either given the phone by Mr Schiller or placed on loudspeaker – we don’t know which) and told him he had paid Ms Daniels $130,000 in hush money on his behalf.
But Mr Blanche called this into doubt – showing the jury a number of interactions suggesting Cohen was in contact with Mr Schiller about a different issue at the same time, namely that he was receiving harassing phone calls and texts from a 14-year-old child.
“That was a lie – you did not talk to President Trump on that night, you talked to Keith Schiller about what we just went through,” Mr Blanche said.
Cohen said that, based on his records, he believes he spoke to Trump about the Stormy Daniels matter.
“We are not asking for your belief,” Mr Blanche said. “This jury does not want to hear what you think happened.”
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Donald Trump in court on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
That exchange was part of several hours of questioning which apparently sought to paint a picture of Cohen as someone who is eager to see his former boss behind bars.
Mr Blanche played jurors audio clips of Cohen saying the case “fills me with delight” and that imagining Trump and his family in prison made him feel “giddy with hope and laughter”.
“Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally?” Mr Blanche asked.
“Yes,” Cohen replied. He is due to return to the witness stand on Monday.
Michael Cohen (right) was Donald Trump’s fixer. Pic: AP
Cohen worked as the former president’s fixer. He once described himself as Trump’s “spokesman, thug, pit bull and lawless lawyer”.
He once said he would take a bullet for his boss and admitted at the end of questioning on Tuesday that he “violated my moral compass” while working for Trump.
Hush money payouts are not illegal, but Trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide it – a claim he denies.
Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career.
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm took second place following his switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old’s estimated total earnings were around $260m (£205m) – an all-time high for a football player.
Jon Rahm came in second. Pic: Jeff Faughender/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
His on-field earnings amounted to $200m (£158m) while off-field he earned $60m (£47m) thanks to sponsorship deals where brands make use of his 629 million Instagram followers.
Rahm earned $218m (£172m) and joins Ronaldo as the only two athletes to earn over $200m.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi. Pic: David Kirouac/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Third on the list is record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who switched to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, which helped the Argentine World Cup winner earn $135m (£107m).
The 36-year-old earned $65m (£51m) in on-field earnings but $70m (£55m) off it from deals with major sponsors such as Adidas and Apple.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James came in fourth at $128m (£101m), while fellow NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks made fifth with $111m (£88m).
France football captain Kylian Mbappe dropped down to sixth with $110m (£87m).
Neymar, who also moved to the Saudi Pro League to join Al-Hilal, is seventh with $108m (£85m), despite sitting out the majority of the season with a torn ACL.
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French striker Karim Benzema, who also moved to Saudi Arabia, is eighth on the list with $106m (£84m), followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry with $102m (£80m).
Lamar Jackson is the only NFL player on the list, in 10th place with $101m (£80m), thanks to the signing bonus negotiated into his new Baltimore Ravens contract last year.
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