Hamas: 10,000 Palestinians cross from Gaza into Egypt

Jul 3, 2010, 13:21 GMT

Gaza City - Over 10,000 Palestinians have crossed into Egypt via the Rafah border since it was opened June 1 after Israel's attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, the Palestinian movement Hamas said Saturday.

The Hamas-run corporation for crossings and borders said that 10,531 people crossed from Gaza into Egypt, while another 10,172 arrived from Egypt and crossed to the enclave.

'Those who crossed from Gaza to Egypt are patients who needed medical treatment in Egypt, students, people travelling to other countries and holders of other nationalities,' a Hamas statement said.

The Rafah crossing was closed after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas security forces and the European Union inspectors were ruling the crossing.

Occasionally, Egypt has opened the Rafah border for three or four- day periods. This is the first time that the border has been opened indefinitely.

Egypt insists that the crossing will be permanently open once the signed US-sponsored crossings treaty of 2005 is implemented.

The Palestinian Authority forces and the EU inspectors run the crossings of Gaza, including the ones with Israel. Hamas said it doesn't oppose the treaty, but it wants to have a presence at the crossing.

Hamas said it is completely ready to run the crossing of Rafah around the clock, without any reference to the presence of Abbas security forces or the EU inspectors.

It called on Egypt to keep the crossing permanently opened, and allow all Gaza Strip population to travel, and not only for humanitarian purposes.