The despair of Britons desperate to escape Gaza as they are left stranded at ... trends now
British nationals desperate to escape Gaza were left in despair yesterday after learning their wait to enter Egypt would continue.
A second tranche of foreign nationals were permitted out of the region through the heavily fortified Rafah Crossing, but many British names were not on the list.
Up to 200 British passport holders are thought to still be in the Palestinian territory which has been pummelled by Israeli air strikes for three weeks.
Israeli and Egyptian authorities have a list of British nationals and their dependants, yet other nations have been prioritised in the two days since the border opened.
For some British families, the situation is becoming increasingly precarious. British teacher Zaynab Wandawi, from Manchester, has been waiting anxiously at the border with her family, having attended a wedding just days before fighting broke out.
People unpack boxes of humanitarian aid from a truck that entered the southern Gaza Strip from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing today
Palestinian border guards check the documents of people leaving Gaza as dual national Palestinians and foreigners prepare to cross the Rafah border point with Egypt
Speaking to the Mail last night, Ms Wandawi's sister, Esma, said the family had a place to stay close to the border, but added: 'She is without water, and with very little food. We have been optimistic when we heard the border was open but on the first day no British nationals were able to come out, and then we read that the first to leave on the second day would be British nationals and that too was incorrect.
'So the optimism isn't as high as it was, but we remain hopeful.'
Ahmad Abou-Foul, 36, a surgeon from Birmingham, said he had 16 family members waiting to cross the Rafah border into Egypt. They include his parents, two brothers and a sister. He said: 'It is a daily struggle. All 16 of them are crammed in a small room in an alien territory in Rafah where they have no family or anyone.
'Over three weeks they've moved to six or seven different places. They are really struggling to get food. It's really hard for them to even get drinking water.'
Mr Abou-Foul spoke to them yesterday. He said: 'They were really frustrated. They were
