PALESTINIANS PROTEST BLOCKADE NEAR RAFAH CROSSING

Gaza City, 24 Rabi’ul Akhir 1435/24 February 2014 (MINA) – The higher national committee for breaking the siege on Sunday set up a sit-in tent near the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip.

The action to protest Egypt’s involvement in the Israeli blockade on the Palestinians in the Strip and the passivity of the international community towards the suffering of the population.

In a news conference held outside the tent, senior Hamas official Hammad Al-Raqab stated that Egypt’s closure of the Rafah border crossing does not befit its historical positions towards the Palestinian people.

Raqab added that the blockade hit all service sectors in Gaza and exacerbated the suffering of patients due to an acute shortage of medical supplies, Al-Resalah quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Also Read: Israel Approves 700 Palestinian Homes Ahead of Kushner's Visit

He urged the Arab League to execute the resolution it had taken in 2006 to break Gaza siege, and demanded the international community to assume its humanitarian role in alleviating the suffering of the population in Gaza.

Palestinian official statistics showed that in the past year 2013, the Rafah border crossing was closed for 101 days, while the number of its closure days reached 96 since June 30.

Annual Statistics, issued by General Administration of crossings at the Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza, showed that the number of departures via the Rafah crossing in 2013 has only reached 152 thousand and 278 passengers, which is a small number compared to the year 2012, due the repeated closure of the crossing, especially during the second half of the year.

Rafah crossing has been partially opened since the first of last July after the Egyptian military coup.

Meanwhile, thousands of people have been trapped in the Gaza Strip because of the continued closure of the crossing, which has caused a real humanitarian catastrophe. (T/P02/P04)

Also Read: BDS Malaysia: Government Playing Important Role In Boycotting Israeli Products

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)