Pretty much says it:
As Israel launches its eye-for-an-eye effort to obliterate Hamas for murdering 1,000+ civilians on its soil in a rave of bloodshed — young and old, Israelis and tourists — multiple commentators remind us that killing the idea of Hamas is quite a different thing from killing its leaders. Flattening northern Gaza and killing more even civilians in the process will not accomplish that.
And yet no state cannot endure such a threat on its doorstep. Palestinians cannot endure life under tighter and tighter restrictions. Something was going to give. This is it. And yet.
Those of us watching, powerless to stop the killing, would do well to heed Nicholas Kristof’s admonition:
If we owe a moral responsibility to Israeli children, then we owe the same moral responsibility to Palestinian children. Their lives have equal weight. If you care about human life only in Israel or only in Gaza, then you don’t actually care about human life.
CNN reports:
Some Palestinian-Americans have received their first set of instructions that family members stuck in Gaza may be able to evacuate into Egypt on Saturday afternoon, according to emails shared with CNN.
The US State Department’s Consular Affairs Crisis Management System (CACMS) told family members that on Saturday the Rafah crossing “may be open.”
“We understand the security situation is difficult, but if you wish to depart Gaza you may want to take advantage of this opportunity,” the CACMS email said.
A State Department spokesperson told CNN they “are actively discussing this with our Israeli and Egyptian counterparts.”
“We support safe passage for civilians,” they said. “We are working with our Israeli and Egyptian partners to establish a safe humanitarian corridor both for Gazans trying to flee this war and to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches those in need within the territory.”
What are the chances it will be only foreign nationals allowed to leave? See below.
BREAKING: A senior Egyptian official says Egypt, Israel and the United States have agreed to allow foreigners in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt. https://t.co/SJGO6mvCsD
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 14, 2023
BREAKING — Egypt refused to allow American citizens to pass through the Rafah crossing unless an agreement permitted the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) October 14, 2023
— Sky News Arabia