CAIRO/GAZA (Feb 2): Cut off from family or urgently requiring hospital care, Palestinians stranded on each side of Gaza's Rafah crossing waited with growing desperation for Monday's reopening of the border as a delayed part of October's ceasefire deal. Faten Hamed Abu Watfa, 43, has not seen her three children since she left Gaza nearly 10 months ago. Abu Watfa left Gaza City’s al‑Karama neighbourhood on April 5, 2024, hoping to stay away for no more than six to eight weeks while her mother‑in‑law received medical treatment. Instead, she became stranded in Egypt after the Rafah crossing closed. Dalia Abu Kashef, 28, died last week while waiting for her name to appear on the Rafah crossing list for a liver transplant.

Source: The Edge Markets February 02, 2026 09:23 UTC