Palestinian passengers, hoping to cross into Egypt, wait at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday. Egyptian authorities partially opened Rafah Crossing, Gaza's main window to the world, on Saturday for five days for humanitarian cases and stranded students, border officials said. – Reuters Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH – The Hamas government on Saturday said that Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip in both directions after a week of closure.
Maher Abu Sabheh, head of Interior Ministry's crossings directorate, said that the “the Egyptian side informed us the crossing will be opened on both directions” after it was closed for seven days without any reasons. Abu Sabheh added that the “patients who are transferred to Egyptian hospitals, foreigners, students, Egypt nationals and humanitarian cases will be allowed to travel abroad.” The crossing is the only gateway to the world for some 1.7 million Palestinians. It partially reopens since early July with strict restrictions. Egypt closed the crossing several times in recent months. Egypt accused Hamas movement of aiding the militants of Muslim Brotherhood in Sinai Peninsula. The Palestinian movement denies the allegations. The Egyptian authorities have stepped up its clampdown on the smuggling tunnels along the Salah Eddin route on the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt. Palestinian sources say that the Egyptian measures deepened the isolation of Gaza Strip from the rest of the world. The Hamas government, that seized control over the Gaza Strip from forces loyal to Abbas in 2007, sponsors hundreds of tunnels which are used to smuggle heavy equipment, people to and from Gaza as well as food and fuel to cope with Israel's siege of the coastal enclave. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said recently that “800 millionaires and 1,600 near-millionaires control the tunnels at the expense of both Egyptian and Palestinian national interests.” The Hamas government said last Sunday said that unemployment rate in Gaza Strip reached 43 percent due to Israeli siege. Hatim Owaidah, the Deputy Minister of Economy in the Hamas government, said that the siege that Israeli imposed on Gaza Strip “badly affected all sectors of production.” Owaidah added that the production rate reached 10.5 percent, compared to 13.5 percent in 2012. The official added that the government is incapable of absorbing the thousands of young men and women who graduate every year. Israel imposed an economic siege on Gaza Strip in June 2006 when Hamas-led armed groups kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross border raid near the enclave. It tightened the siege in June 2007, when Hamas routed President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces and ousted his Fatah movement from the area.
Israel says the measures against Gaza are necessary to stop weapons smuggling and to put pressure on Hamas, but the UN insists the restrictions amount to collective punishment of Gaza's population. The restrictions was eased by Israel last year in response to international pressure, after nine Turkish activists were killed in clashes with Israeli troops who boarded their aid flotilla which was trying to break the blockade. Israel and the West consider Hamas a terrorist movement. The Quartet, which comprises the US, the EU, the UN and Russia, has asked Hamas to recognize Israel, accept peace deals and abandon violence in exchange for an international recognition of the movement.
