Egypt relaxes border with Gaza to let pilgrims travel to Mecca - Haaretz

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Mon., December 03, 2007 Kislev 23, 5768

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Last update - 11:29 03/12/2007

Egypt relaxes border with Gaza to let pilgrims travel to Mecca

By The Associated Press

Tags: Egypt, Saudi Arabia

Egypt opened its border crossing with Gaza on Monday to let in Palestinian pilgrims headed for Saudi Arabia - the first time Palestinians have been allowed to enter Egyptian territory since Hamas militants seized Gaza in June.

Some 700 pilgrims hoped to pass through Egypt on Monday after receiving visas from Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. One busload crossed through by mid-morning.

Marwan Shurafi, whose mother left for Egypt on Monday, said the pilgrims wore traditional white clothing and chanted in praise of Allah as they crossed into Egypt.

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The pilgrimage, or hajj, is an obligation every Muslim is expected to carry out once in a lifetime.

Salah al-Rikib, Hamas' deputy minister for religious affairs, said his
government smuggled the passports of 2,200 Gaza pilgrims through a tunnel into Egypt, where the Saudi Arabian consulate issued them visas. The passports were then returned to Gaza through a tunnel, he said.

Egypt and Israel all but sealed their borders with Gaza after the Hamas
takeover, confining 1.5 million Gazans to the crowded territory. Israel has allowed small numbers of Gaza residents to leave through its territory for humanitarian reasons, but this was the first time Egypt has agreed to let Gazans pass through its territory since the takeover.

Related articles:

Israel allows 199 Palestinians who reside abroad to leave Gaza

PA: Gazans who paid hajj fee to Hamas won't travel to Mecca

Israel buses hundreds of Palestinians to Egypt for Mecca hajj

Israel to allow Palestinians stranded in Egypt back to Gaza

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1.	Egypt can`t refuse!	15:24	\|	Pilgrim	03/12/07

2.	Mubarak...OPEN the BORDER to the Sinai...	16:29	\|	ali	03/12/07

3.	Gaza to Egypt	17:09	\|	Rabbi Izzy Lahm	03/12/07

4.	border	17:48	\|	marty	03/12/07

5.	border	20:05	\|	colin	03/12/07

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