CAIRO: The Rafah border crossing is expected to be open today for Palestinians in Gaza seeking treatment in Egypt.
The International Movement to Open the Rafah Border (IMORB), which has been camped out at the crossing for 11 days, intends to conduct a “March for the Martyrs to commemorate the deaths of Gazans killed during the Israeli offensive on the strip last December.
IMORB is planning a second march on Saturday, this time to recognize the victims of the siege of Gaza, in place ever since Hamas took over the territory in mid-2007. The border is also expected to be opened for three days starting Saturday.
“They have promised this many times before, only proving to be untrue, disappointing many Palestinian families and individuals, said delegation member Ellen Graves in a statement.
In a previous statement, the movement said, “We call to all those who want to enter the Gaza Strip and those who want the end of the siege, to come to the border on these days (June 27-29), in order to check it is really open.
And, if it is not, to ask for the opening, in great numbers.
Member of the delegation Don Bryant from the US who was on a hunger strike along with two other members of the delegation last week embarked on another hunger strike Sunday, this time on his own.
An Australian delegation that was supposed to link up with the IMORB at the crossing was prevented from reaching through to the Rafah border for four days. They also await another delegation at the crossing.
Currently the IMORB comprises three members along with two Egyptian journalists. Other Egyptian journalists were prohibited from reaching a press conference held by the group on Monday.
According to the statement released by the group, “pressure to remove Egyptian homes and Bedouin farms from the Rafah border area has increased.
This comes in the wake of a visit by the Japanese ambassador to Rafah “to announce that Japan would join the US government in a high-tech border surveillance project, according to the statement.
