ISRAEL: Palestinians previously stranded in Egypt return to Gaza via Israel

More than 300 Palestinians return to Gaza after being stranded in Egypt. Under a deal struck between the Palestinian Prime Minister, Egypt and Israel, the Palestinians travel through Israel to get back into Gaza. The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza has been closed since Hamas siezed control of the coastal strip. For a second day on Monday (July 30), Israel allowed Palestinians stranded in Egypt since Hamas's takeover of Gaza last month, to return to the coastal strip travelling via the Jewish state. One hundred and one crossed on Sunday. Monday's figure was expected to be 300 or more. And even more are due to travel on Tuesday. Under a deal reached with Egypt and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's government in the West Bank, Israel has said thousands of Palestinians stranded in Egypt since the closure of the Rafah crossing, could now return through Israeli territory at the Erez crossing. Hamas has criticised the deal to let the Palestinians return through Israel as a sellout to the Jewish state. It demands the immediate reopening of the Rafah crossing which would give the Islamists some control over who enters Gaza. Western diplomats say Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are reluctant to relinquish control of the strategic crossing to a militant group, fearing it could be used to bring in gunmen and weapons from Egypt. Abbas lost control of Gaza on June 14 when Hamas routed his secular Fatah forces, and responded by sacking a Hamas-led unity government, naming his own Western-backed administration.

ITN Source | July 31, 2007

Tags:. .under. .closed. .between. .forces. .bring