• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Israel Reopens Gaza-Egypt Border Crossing

Posted on: Friday, 6 August 2004, 06:00 CDT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israel reopened the Gaza-Egypt border crossing Friday, the army said, allowing 1,500 Palestinians to head home after being stranded for three weeks. The first busload of Palestinians crossed from Egypt into Gaza early Friday, Palestinians said.

Israel closed the border on July 18, saying it had intelligence that Palestinian militants had dug a tunnel under the crossing or a nearby outpost and was planning to blow it up.

Hundreds of Palestinians who were trying to get home through Egypt were stranded in the desert and faced severe hardships, including food shortages. Egypt warned this week of an impending humanitarian crisis.

Israel opened another crossing nearby, but Palestinians refused to use it because they would have been required to pass through Israel to get home.

Under terms of interim peace accords, Israel controls the crossings between the Palestinian territories and neighboring countries.

More News in this Category