EGYPT PROMISES TO OPEN RAFAH NEXT WEEK
Rafah, 16 Safar 1435/19 December 2013 (MINA) – Director General of Borders and Crossings, Maher Abu Sabha said that the Egyptian authorities promised to open the Rafah crossing next week.
He said in a statement on Wednesday, we contacted the Egyptian side and demanded the opening of the crossing urgently, Palestine’s Al Ray reported as quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
Egypt accepted to open the crossing to alleviate the suffering of Gazans and to allow the travel of thousands of citizens especially the sick ones and the humanitarian cases.
Abu Sabha indicated that all the registration offices closed after the number of passengers reached 5000.
He called on Egypt to open the Rafah crossing permanently in front of the arrivals and departures.
“Rafah crossing has been closing for six days in a row after re-opened for five days last week,” Abu Sabha pointed out.
Rafah crossing is the only outlet to the fresh air of freedom for the people of the Gaza Strip; its closure turns the Strip into a “big prison”.
Gaza premier Ismail Haneyya asked secretary general of the Arab League Nabil Al-Arabi to immediately implement the League’s decision on breaking the siege on Gaza and to allow entry of all basic needs via the Rafah crossing.
Taher Al-Nunu, the media advisor to Haneyya, said in a terse statement that the premier reached Arabi on the phone and briefed him on the difficult living conditions in Gaza. Arabi, for his part, said that he was following up development of events in Gaza and was holding contacts with Arab countries to send relief to the enclave. Haneyya had appealed to the world leaders on Friday to urgently step in and find a solution to the fuel and power crisis in Gaza and end the siege.
The premier said during an inspection tour of houses affected with the low depression that he made contacts with PA chief Mahmoud Abbas, the Emir of Qatar, the foreign minister of Russia, and the prime minister of Turkey to brief them on the humanitarian condition in Gaza as a result of the siege, which was aggravated by the harsh weather conditions.(T/P03/P04)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
