Israeli crossing closure strands Palestinians

CAIRO - Thousands of Palestinians have been stranded in Egypt by the closure of the Israeli-controlled Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip since July 18, say officials on both sides.

The Jerusalem Post said the international border crossing was closed because of suspicions that Palestinians were digging a tunnel under it and planned to rig it with explosives.

Israel accused the Palestinian Authority of making the problem worse by rejecting its offer to let travelers use a crossing into Israel and then be taken to the Gaza Strip, where the air and sea routes have been cut for nearly four years.

Palestinians said they could not accept the Israeli proposal because it would let only 200 passengers a day reach the Gaza Strip, an impoverished enclave that houses 1.3 million Palestinians.

“We would have no problem if they accepted to let all people pass, but not 200 each day. … They include cancer and heart-disease patients,” Palestinian border security director Salim Abu Safiyah told Reuters.

Egypt’s Red Crescent said it was caring for up to 2,000 people at the border, some in tents. Officials said many more Palestinians were stuck in Cairo or other Egyptian towns.

“The problem is getting worse every day,” said Mamdouh Jabr, general secretary of the Egyptian Red Crescent.

From combined dispatches

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