Palestinian students reach Gaza after fleeing Sudan violence

Rafah, Palestinian Territories (AFP):

Palestinians embraced at the Egyptian border with the blockaded Gaza Strip on Friday as students returned home after fleeing the violence in Sudan.

Gaza’s Crossing and Border Authority said “172 students arrived in the homeland through the Rafah border crossing, as the first batch of students coming from Sudan.”

There were hugs and tears at the southern gateway to Gaza as relatives greeted young Palestinians fleeing fighting which broke out on April 15.

“The situation was really difficult, it hit everywhere in Khartoum,” university student Nasser Qishta told AFP.

“The Palestinian embassy in Sudan contacted us, gathered up the students and transferred us to Gaza,” added Qistha, who remained determined to return to the Sudanese capital “when conditions improve.”

Governments have rushed to extract their citizens from Sudan amid the deadly violence between the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Wael al-Masri, a medical student, said the situation was akin to a “civil war”.

“I thank everyone who helped us return,” he said at the Rafah crossing, which was opened especially for their arrival by Egyptian authorities.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have lived through multiple wars fought between Palestinians and Israel since Hamas won an election in 2007.

An Israel-led blockade has since been imposed and obtaining the necessary permits and funds to leave the territory is nearly impossible for the majority of residents.