Some Stranded Palestinians to Leave Egypt

The first of as many as 6,000 Palestinians stranded in Egypt will try to return home to Gaza Sunday.

Officials from Israel, Egypt and the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority have agreed to let about about 100 people travel Sunday from Egypt into Israel at the Al Oja cargo crossing south of Rafah, then be bused to Israel’s Erez crossing with Gaza, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The 100 are on a list of 627 Palestinians approved by Israel to cross this week into Gaza. The Palestinians, some of whom had gone to Egypt for medical care, have been stuck in the Egyptian border town of Rafah or nearby El-Arish since the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza was closed in early June.

The military wing of Hamas, which now controls Gaza, opposes the use of the Erez crossing to admit the stranded Palestinians, the Times reported. In a statement, Hamas said allowing crossings at Erez increases Israeli control over Gaza.

Hamas has been pressuring Egypt to reopen the Rafah border crossing, which has remained closed since Hamas ousted Fatah from Gaza in June.