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Ambassador: Nearly 300 Ukrainians need to be evacuated from Gaza

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Ambassador: Nearly 300 Ukrainians need to be evacuated from Gaza
A Palestinian man walks amid the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air strikes in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern of Gaza Strip, on Oct. 16, 2023. (Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images)

The number of Ukrainians seeking evacuation from besieged Gaza has increased to 298, Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniichuk, said on national TV on Oct. 18.

Earlier on Oct. 10, three days after Hamas' Oct. 7 on Israel, a spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that 150 Ukrainians stuck in Gaza contacted the Embassy and expressed their interest in being evacuated.

There has been conflicting information about the opening of the Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt. Two hours before the beginning of the planned evacuation on Oct. 14, Israeli authorities revoked the permission for foreigners to use the crossing.

Palestinian officials on Oct. 16 said that the crossing would be open, but at the time of this publication, reporting from Gaza indicates that it remains closed.

Thousands have been killed in the fighting in Gaza. Hundreds were killed on Oct. 17 in a strike on a hospital in Gaza City, which both Israeli and Gazan officials have blamed on each other.

Hamas' attack on Israel has killed 23 Ukrainians as of Oct. 18. About 450 Ukrainians have so far been evacuated from Israel, with more evacuation flights planned in the coming days.

Ukrainians trapped in besieged Gaza: ‘We are constantly bombed’
Hundreds of Ukrainians have been caught in the crossfire inside the Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 prompted Israel to respond with a total blockade and intense bombardment of the small Palestinian enclave. Ukraine is now working to evacuate 243 Ukrainian citizens from Gaza, whic…
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Nate Ostiller

News Editor

Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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