By Xinhua,
Gaza : Egypt today reopened its border with Gaza Strip for three days to allow Palestinians stranded at both sides to cross, witnesses and Hamas security sources said.
A few Hundreds of Palestinian patients and those who hold citizenships of other countries gathered at Rafah crossing which Egypt partially opened. The last opening of the border was in January when Hamas militants blew it up and allowed the Gazans to cross into Sinai.
The border is open without the presence of the European Union monitors and the Presidential Guard forces of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas who withdrew from the passage in June 2007 when Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip by force.
Egypt has been mediating between Israel and the armed groups in Gaza, led by Hamas, to broker a ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled territory. The Palestinians accepted the Egyptian offer and are awaiting Israel’s response.
At least 10 ambulances carrying very sick people were seen at the crossing where Hamas policemen deployed. Egypt took over the coordination at the middle and the exit terminal of the crossing.
Today, the crossing will be open from 9:30 – 16:00 (0630-1300 GMT) for the patients who have bookings at Egyptian hospitals. On Sunday the Palestinians who came to visit Gaza before last June and stuck here when Hamas took over the region, will be allowed to go and on Monday the crossing will receive Palestinians into Gaza.
At the border, Um Hassan, a 45-year-old woman, was told she cannot leave Gaza today since she is not a patient and that she can try tomorrow. She lives with her husband at Saudi Arabia and came to Gaza one year ago to pick up her daughter-in-law.
“I left my six children with their father at the kingdom (Saudi Arabia) and came here, planning to return after one month, only to get stuck here,” she said as she was dragging back her luggage.
Tomorrow, she said she will come here again without her son’s wife who still doesn’t have a Saudi citizenship.