Palestinians have embraced at the Egyptian border with the blockaded Gaza as students returned home after fleeing the eruption of violence in Sudan.

Gaza's Crossing and Border Authority said on Friday "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 the AFP news agency.

"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."

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 Israel and Gaza since 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.

Deadly conflict

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 Dagalo.

At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, which are believed to be incomplete.

The Sudanese doctors' union warned on Friday that the collapse of the healthcare system was "imminent", with more than 12,000 patients at risk of dying as they could not access regular kidney dialysis.

The UN humanitarian agency said just 16 per cent of health facilities in Khartoum were still operating normally, leaving millions without access to health care.

Burhan and Dagalo — commonly known as Hemeti — seized power in a 2021 coup that derailed Sudan's transition to democracy, established after longtime leader Omar al Bashir was ousted following mass protests in 2019.

But the two generals later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army.