Foreign nationals are making their way out of Gaza and into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing Wednesday.
Among those in the first groups to leave were five French citizens and 31 Austrian citizens, the country’s respective foreign ministries reported. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also said “the first British nationals have left Gaza,” without specifying a number
The French citizens were not accompanied by any non-French relatives or Palestinian workers from the French cultural center, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
They were received by a team from the French embassy in Egypt, according to the statement.
The group of Austrians includes “mainly dual nationals who have their center of life in Gaza or were visiting family, including ten minors, the youngest being a six-year-old girl,” the Austrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that “all the evacuees are doing well under the circumstances.”
It said it was “one of the first countries whose citizens have been evacuated.”
The group will be taken to a shelter organized by the embassy, where they can receive medical care, if necessary, the ministry said.
Cleverly called the evacuation of British citizens “a hugely important first step,” according to a post on social media.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) also posted a message on social media, saying that British nationals crossed the Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt, without specifying the number.
“UK teams are on the ground providing assistance,” the Foreign Office said.
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