Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry on November 12 announced the start of the evacuation of Russian citizens from the war-torn Gaza Strip. The ministry said the first Russians had begun to cross the border with Egypt through the Rafah border crossing. It added that people crossing will be provided with food and water and be transferred to the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Some 70 Russians have already crossed, the ministry said without specifying how many it expected to eventually handle. After being closed the two previous days, the Rafah crossing was reopened on November 12, with hundreds of people expected to transit, including many with foreign passports. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.