Last update - 00:00 09/08/2007
Last batch of Palestinians stranded in Egypt returns to Gaza Strip
By News Agencies
About 400 Palestinians, the last of thousands seeking to return home after being stranded in Egypt, crossed back into Gaza on Thursday, an Egyptian security source said.
More than 6,000 Palestinians had been stuck in Egypt after Israel closed the main Rafah crossing point to Gaza in June.
Many had been living in concrete shelters or low-budget hotels in northern Sinai as their money dwindled.
The last batch of about 400 crossed back into Gaza through the Awja border crossing south of Rafah, more than a week after Egypt began moving them out of Sinai, the source said.
Clashes broke out last month between Egyptian police and Palestinians detained at al-Arish airport in northern Sinai. The Palestinians had tried to break free after complaining of dwindling funds and lack of food and medical supplies.
Egypt sent hundreds of additional police to reinforce its border last month in case Palestinian militants tried to storm it. Palestinian demonstrators in El Arish had demanded it reopen.
While the stranded Palestinians included some holidaymakers, most were Gazans who had sought medical treatment abroad and could not return after Israel closed the Rafah crossing in June.
About 30 Palestinians detained at al-Arish airport remain in Egypt and refuse to return, fearing they would be arrested while on their way through Israel, the source said.
UN official: Gaza faces economic disaster if blockade continues
The Gaza Strip will soon become entirely dependent on foreign aid and face disastrous consequences if the Hamas-controlled territory remains sealed off, a senior UN official warned Thursday.
Israel and Egypt closed their crossings with Gaza to all but humanitarian aid after the Islamic militant Hamas seized power in the coastal strip in June. The closures have exacerbated poverty among the 1.4 million residents of the already impoverished territory.
"The blockade has created a highly volatile situation, and the window of opportunity for addressing it is small and fast closing", said Filippo Grandi, the deputy head of UN Relief and Works Agency, the international body responsible for Palestinian refugees.
"Gaza risks becoming a virtually 100 percent aid dependent, closed down and isolated community within a matter of months or weeks, if the present regime of closure continues," Grandi told reporters Thursday at a Gaza City press conference.
"Failure to open the crossings will lead to disastrous consequences and an atmosphere of hopelessness and despair in which extremism is likely to take hold," he cautioned.
The cumulative loss to industry in Gaza has reached $23 million since the Hamas takeover - according to figures released Thursday by the Association of Palestinian Businessmen. If the closure continues, at least 120,000 workers in Gaza could lose their jobs, the association said.