CAIRO/ARISH: Around 100 Palestinians trapped in Al-Arish Airport reportedly went on a hunger strike to pressure the authorities to open the Rafah crossing which had been closed since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip over two weeks ago.
As residents of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians can enter Egypt without a visa to travel elsewhere. They are not, however, allowed to move around freely and are transferred by bus to or from the Rafah terminal to Cairo airport, reported Agence France-Presse.
The trapped Palestinians, who have been stuck for about 20 days, want to return to Gaza, and are currently surviving on water and salt.
The strike came in the wake of demonstrations by Hamas supporters in Gaza demanding the re-opening of the Rafah terminal.
The EU had announced Saturday that it will reduce its monitoring mission on the Rafah border as it is not clear when it will be reopened, which reduces the possibility of it opening any time soon, say observers.
So far the trapped Palestinians have been surviving on aid from humanitarian organizations.
The Arab Doctors Association (ADA), through its Rescue and Emergency Committee headed by Dr Gamal Abdel Salam, was able to gain access to the temporary refugees, providing them with much-needed medicine, clothes and food.
The association has reported the presence of women, children, and ailing people.
They have been living under extremely harsh conditions, Mohamed Aref of the ADA, told The Daily Star Egypt. They are not allowed anywhere outside the airport. They are trapped there.
Last week, President Hosni Mubarak said nearly 4,000 Palestinians had fled into Egypt to escape fighting between Hamas and Fatah. He said they would remain in Egypt until the situation calmed.
But Palestinians stuck in Cairo Airport are now being deported to Al-Arish Airport where they are detained with their fellow citizens, exacerbating the problem, Aref added. The only way to resolve this situation is by reopening the terminal, he added.
But officials had told the Palestinians they could not cross the frontier because they might be shot by Israeli troops or Hamas fighters who mistook them for smugglers, AFP quoted one trapped Palestinian as saying.
The Daily Star Egypt was unable to reach the office of the North Sinai Governor Ahmed Abdel-Hameed to comment on the conditions of the trapped Palestinians. The Egyptian government has reportedly also prohibited journalists from entering the Arish Airport and speaking to the hunger strikers. With agencies.
