Britons in Gaza forced to wait for escape as Rafah crossing remains shut

The Rafah crossing did not reopen on Sunday despite UK hopes that the situation could be resolved to allow more Britons to escape from Gaza.

The impasse in delicate diplomatic relations between Egypt, Israel and Hamas means UK nationals waiting by the border checkpoint have been stranded for a second day.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said during a Sunday media round that the UK government was “hopeful that the crossing will reopen again today” and that additional British citizens would be able to leave Gaza.

But the Foreign Office confirmed that the key border post remained closed to foreign nationals on Sunday, having been shut on Saturday following an apparent row between Israel and the Palestinians over evacuating injured patients.

British nationals have spoken about being turned away from the crossing on Saturday when it was unexpectedly sealed.

Zaynab Wandawi, 29, from Salford, Greater Manchester, travelled to Gaza in early October with her British-Palestinian husband and his relatives for a wedding before the Israel-Hamas war began.

Ms Wandawi, an English language teacher, and a group of 12 family members – 10 of whom are British nationals – attempted to cross the border into Egypt on Wednesday, but were told their names were not on the list.

The group were told their names were on the list on Saturday, but were turned away again amid disagreement between the Palestinian and Israeli authorities in control of the crossing, according to her mother, Lalah Ali-Faten.

Ms Ali-Faten, 52, from Prestwich, north Manchester said: “It seems now that they’re being used as a bargaining chip, the foreign nationals.”

She said she received a voice note from her daughter and a “one-minute phone call” explaining that foreign nationals trapped in Gaza would not be leaving until the ambulances carrying the sick and injured left first.

Ms Ali-Faten said she was told Israeli authorities said ambulances could leave but would not be permitted back into Gaza to prevent them from being targeted.

Groups assisting people trying to leave through Rafah said they struggled to get hold of contacts on Sunday as Gaza experienced its third total communications blackout since the start of the war on October 7.

Rafah is the only Gaza crossing that is not controlled by the Israelis and is currently the sole exit point for foreign nationals and entry way for aid.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was “disappointed that the Rafah crossing remains temporarily closed today”.

She said the department was “using all diplomatic channels to press for its reopening in co-ordination with our international partners”.

“It is vital that the safe passage of people, including all foreign nationals, and humanitarian aid can continue,” she said.

Insiders have suggested that the issues which caused the gate to close are not insurmountable.

It is not clear what caused the three-way diplomatic agreement to collapse.

Around 100 UK nationals have used the Rafah crossing to leave the besieged enclave since it opened to foreign nationals last week.

The total number the UK is trying to secure passage for is thought to be in the low hundreds, with as many as 200 British nationals and their dependents in Gaza registered with the authorities to leave.

Among those to have successfully passed through the crossing are the parents-in-law of First Minister Humza Yousaf.

They have have arrived in Scotland safely after fleeing the conflict in the Gaza Strip, with SNP leader Mr Yousaf sharing a family photo on X, formerly Twitter, which included his wife Nadia, and her parents, Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla.

It comes as a group assisting those on the ground in the territory said some British citizens are facing the “excruciating” prospect of leaving without their family members when the border point does reopen.

Support Families In Gaza said the Foreign Office had left those without UK passports off the safe passage list into Egypt, meaning some people could have to leave relatives behind in the bombarded enclave.

The death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 9,770, while over 1,400 Israelis were killed in Hamas' attack on an Israeli music festival on October 7.

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