US in talks with Egypt to open Gaza's Rafah border crossing

The United States is in discussions to open Gaza’s Rafa border crossing to foreign nationals who want to flee as Israel readies for an expected major offensive. “That is also something we discussed with Israel, something we continue to discuss with Egypt — the importance of the Rafah crossing being open for American citizens and for foreign nationals of other countries who want to leave and have the right to leave,” AFP quoted a senior US official as saying. Israel on Friday warned civilians in northern Gaza to “immediately” leave for the south as it continues to raze Hamas targets. The warning comes amid the large-scale bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli military, which has killed more than 1,530 people according to health officials. This comes as Israel’s response to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s attack on southern Israel last Saturday. Gaza is a tightly packed Palestinian enclave to the southwest of Israel — only 41 km long and 6-12 km wide. It houses over two million Palestinians. To the north and west, it is bordered by Israel, and to the east lies the Mediterranean Sea and Israel has blockaded it on that side as well. The only way out for civilians is the narrow border with Egypt with the Rafah crossing. Gazans have thronged the crossing in the last few days in hopes of fleeing the unrelenting Israeli air strikes. On Saturday, Hamas terrorists crossed from Gaza to launch attacks in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed, and over a hundred were abducted and taken back to the enclave as hostages. Thousands are reported to be injured with many in critical condition and the death toll continues by the hour. With AFP inputs