100 of the 6,000 Palestinians stranded in Egypt allowed to cross back to Gaza

Sunday July 29, 2007 20:30 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli forces, which have kept the Rafah border crossing closed since last year, have allowed a list of 100 Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza through the Nitzana crossing.

Israeli forces control all entry and exit into the Gaza Strip, despite the fact that the Rafah crossing into Egypt is supposed to be under the jurisdiction of international observers. The closure of the entire Gaza Strip has had disastrous humanitarian consequences. According to the United Nations, malnutrition rates among children in Gaza have soared as the internationally-imposed siege has prevented food or supplies from entering the beleagured Gaza Strip.

Earlier Sunday, about 1,000 Palestinians gathered in a stadium in the Egyptian town of el-Arish, where authorities read the names of 105 people who they said were approved by Israel to return to Gaza.

Most of the 6,000 Palestinians stranded in the desert in Egypt, waiting to cross the Rafah border, had travelled to Egypt for medical treatment. At least ten have died from lack of medical care at the border. Most of those stranded at the border are simply waiting, some for weeks and months, in extreme desert heat with no shade, for the next brief opening of the Rafah border crossing.

But with Israeli authorities having cut off diplomatic relations with Gaza since Hamas took full control there last month, the chances of having an opening at Rafah have become exceedingly slim.

Instead, Israeli authorities have gone through the list of stranded Palestinians, and have handpicked a few that they deem eligible to return home to Gaza. The 100 Palestinians on the list crossed into Israel, then took buses to the Nitzana crossing between Israel and Gaza, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Hamas denounced the arrangement, saying it gave Israel a veto on who could enter Gaza.

rafah | refugees/immigration | news report saed at imemc dot org