After 50 Days, Egypt Set to Reopen Gaza Crossing
March 26, 2014Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas announced Wednesday that the blockaded territory’s border with Egypt would open after a 50-day closure, and told Palestinian Arabs wishing to travel to present their passports.
Egypt has severely restricted access through the crossing in the border city of Rafah since July, when the army deposed Hamas’s ally, president Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The crossing will reopen for three days starting Saturday, Hamas’s interior ministry said.
Filippo Grandi, head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) urged Egypt Tuesday to allow people through Rafah, saying only a handful of Muslim pilgrims had been allowed across over seven weeks.
Many Gazans travel through Rafah to seek medical treatment.
He also called on Israel to ease its blockade of the territory, imposed in 2006 to prevent the smuggling of weapons and explosives. That is unlikely to happen; earlier today, the Israeli navy destroyed two boats suspected of smuggling arms into Gaza, less than a month after naval commandos seized an Iranian arms ship heading to the territory. Humanitarian aid, however, flows freely from the Israeli side into Gaza.
After Morsi’s overthrow, the Egyptian army took an even harder line than Israel, destroying hundreds of tunnels under the border that brought in construction materials and fuel, as well as weapons and other equipment for Islamist terrorists on both sides of the border. That caused the Strip’s worst ever energy crisis, with power outages of up to 16 hours a day.
This month, Hamas described the Rafah closure as a “crime against humanity,” and the UN criticized it for its effect on “the civilian population, including patients awaiting medical treatment.”
Similar posts
-
How Israel Helps Its Arab Neighbors
September 27, 2023Introduction Israel, a country known for its rich history and complex geopolitical landscape, ha...
-
The Amazing Country of Israel
September 15, 2023Introduction Nestled in the heart of the Middle East, Israel is a nation with a remarkable histo...
-
Israel Safeguards The World From Terror Attacks
August 23, 2023Introduction In an era where terrorism poses a significant threat to global security, Israel sta...
-
Israel Helps The World With Water Recycling
August 10, 2023Introduction In a world grappling with the challenges of water scarcity and resource management,...
-
Israel's Remarkable Female Soldiers
July 26, 2023Introduction When we think of the Israeli military, we often conjure up images of well-trained s...
-
About Gal Gadot's Cleopatra Movie
July 18, 2023By Katy Rath Gal Gadot's new Cleopatra movie has been steeped in both anticipation and controver...
-
Israel Empowers The World Through Innovation
July 10, 2023BY: SOLVE ISRAEL'S PROBLEMS Introduction:In recent years, Israel has emerged as a global powerho...
-
The Jerusalem Embassy, 5 Years Later
May 22, 2023By Nikki Haley On May 14, 2018, something incredible happened. The United States...
