Rafah crossing to be opened for three days starting on Saturday

Saturday May 10, 2008 11:22 by IMEMC Staff - IMEMC News

Palestinian sources reported that the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Eygpt to be opened for three days starting on Saturday.

Palestinians at the Rafah crossing - File 2007

The Rafah crossing, the only was in or out for Palestinians in Gaza, was closed by the Israeli army 11 months ago.

The Palestinian sources said that the priority will be given to humanitarian cases and patients that need medical care out side the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian officials said that Cairo will also allow Egyptians who got stranded in Gaza since last January to come back and added that Cairo is trying to ease the humanitarian crises in the Palestinian Coastal Region.

Iyman Tahha, a Hamas leader in Gaza, told media agencies on Saturday that the crossing will not be opened according to any long-term arrangement, but in fact it will be opened for a short time for easing the crises in Gaza.

The Rafah crossing was handed over to the Palestinian Authority and Egypt when the Israeli army left the Gaza Strip in 2005. In June 2007 Israeli closed the border crossing when the Hamas movement took total control of the costal region.

In Januray 2007 Palestinians destroyed part of the wall separating Rafah from Egypt and broke the Israeli Siege for a week, thousands of Egyptians and Palestinian traveled throw the borders looking for food supplies, medical care, and visiting relatives, when the borders was closed hundreds of Egyptians and Palestinian got stuck in both sides of the borders.

Translated by Ghassan Bannoura – IMEMC News Room.

gaza strip | human rights | news report ghassanb at imemc dot org