Relief as Egypt opens Gaza crossing
2011-05-28 12:27
Rafah - After four years, Egypt on Saturday
permanently opened the Gaza Strip's main gateway to the outside world, bringing
long-awaited relief to the territory's Palestinian population and a significant
achievement for the area's ruling Hamas militant group.
The reopening of the Rafah border crossing
eases an Egyptian blockade of Gaza that has prevented the vast majority of the
densely populated area's 1.5 million people from being able to travel abroad.
The closure, along with an Israeli blockade of its borders with Gaza, has fuelled
an economic crisis in the territory.
But Saturday's move also raises Israeli fears
that militants will be able to move freely in and out of Gaza.
Highlighting those fears, the Israeli army
said militants from inside Gaza fired a mortar shell into southern Israel
overnight. There were no injuries, and Israel did not respond.
Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after
Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007. The closure, which also included
tight Israeli restrictions at its cargo crossings with Gaza and a naval
blockade, was meant to weaken Hamas, an Islamic militant group that opposes
peace with Israel.
But since the ouster of Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak in February, Egypt's new leadership has vowed to ease the
blockade and improve relations with the Palestinians.
The Rafah border terminal has functioned at
limited capacity for months. Travel has been restricted to certain classes of
people, such as students, businessmen or medical patients. And the crossing was
often subject to closures. Travel through Israel's passenger crossing with Gaza
is extremely rare.
Under the new system, most restrictions are
being lifted, and a much larger number of Palestinians are expected to be able
to cross each day, easing a backlog that can force people to wait for months.
Some 400 people had gathered at Rafah early on
Saturday as the first bus load of passengers crossed the border. Two Egyptian
officers stood guard next to a large Egyptian flag atop the border gate as the
vehicle passed through.
Among the first passengers to cross was Ward
Labaa, a 27-year-old woman who was leaving Gaza for the first time in her life
to seek medical care for a stomach ailment at a Cairo hospital.
More buses crossed Rafah later, dragging blue
carts attached to the rear, with luggage piled high.
Salama Baraka, the chief Palestinian officer
at the Gaza side of the Rafah terminal, said travel has been limited to about
300 passengers a day.
He said it was unclear how many people would
pass through on Saturday, but that officials hoped to get about three days'
worth of people, or roughly 900, across.
- AP
