Egypt allows aid to Gaza via Israeli-controlled crossing

Mar 9, 2008, 12:19 GMT

Cairo - Egypt Sunday allowed convoys carrying humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through the Israel-controlled Karam Abu-Salem border crossing, according to Egyptian security officials.

The Karam Abu-Salem border crossing, where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza meet, is about 14 kilometres south of the Rafah border between the Strip and Egypt.

The passage of the relief aid via the Israeli-controlled crossing was believed to have been to ensure that no weapons were smuggled into the Gaza Strip.

Egypt has previously allowed relief aid into Gaza, and wounded Gazans to pass into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing which is controlled by the militant movement Hamas.

Scores of Palestinians were killed and wounded in Israeli operations launched on the Gaza Strip last week in response to rocket attacks fired from there on Israeli border towns.

Israel has also imposed a blockade on the territory, which led suspected Hamas gunmen to blast open the border with Egypt on January 23, allowing thousands of Palestinians to cross over.

Israel and the US have been pressing Egypt to reassert control over the border saying that weapons and militants might have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip through the border breaches.