Report: Hamas turned Al-Qaida man over to Egypt as part of border deal
Cairo lets stranded Hamas and Jihad militants into Gaza in return for al-Qaida man, according to Palestinian news agency.
By Avi Issacharoff Tags: Egypt Hamas al-QaidaHamas has extradited a wanted Al-Qaida militant to Egypt in exchange for Cairo's agreement to allow dozens of stranded Hamas and Islamic Jihad members to return to the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency Maan reported on Monday.
Scores of Palestinian militants who had been stranded in Egypt since Hamas took over Gaza were allowed back into the territory on Sunday, witnesses said, signaling possible new accommodation between Cairo and the Islamist group.
Egypt, the architect of Arab rapprochement with Israel, has straddled a diplomatic fence with Hamas, neither shunning it nor accepting its violent removal of Western-backed Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction from the Gaza Strip.
But in what Hamas sources described as a deal between Hamas and Egypt, around 85 militants crossed into Gaza overnight through Rafah, a terminal on the Egyptian border which had been closed for three months after Abbas' monitors were chased out.
Egypt's Interior Ministry confirmed that they had agreed with Hamas to transport the people across the border. It gave no explanation.
Israel, which opposed the return of some of the Palestinians, said it was unaware of an Egypt-Hamas agreement. Egypt told Israel that about 28 Palestinians, including senior Hamas figures, broke through the Egypt-Gaza fence, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said.
But the crossing appeared to be organized with Egyptian cooperation, witnesses said.
The Palestinians were transported to the Egyptian side of the border in Egyptian buses, allowed across by Hamas security and then met at a Hamas security in included a prominent Hamas lawmaker, Mushir al-Masri, and Hamas loyalists sent for training in Muslim countries before the militant Islamic group's Gaza takeover, witnesses said. They did not speak to journalists at the scene.
During the crossing, Hamas security officials tried to keep the operation a secret, confiscating film from photographers and cameramen alerted to the scene.
The militants, whom witnesses and Hamas sources said included senior Hamas figures, had refused to avail themselves of an alternative return route to Gaza that runs through neighboring Israel for fear of being arrested by the Israelis.
Hamas sources said that the Popular Resistance Committees, a Gaza-based militant group, took part in talks with Egypt on temporarily reopening Rafah.
Palestinian diplomats in Cairo estimate that 2,000 Palestinians remain stranded in Egypt, including university students, people who had sought medical care abroad, and people who had been visiting relatives at the time of the Gaza takeover.
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Palestinians reentering Gaza through the Rafah border crossing after being stranded in Egypt since Hamas seized the strip in June. (Reuters) |
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with all the components of war.good thing israel has a peace treaty with these guys,hmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
You missed the point i was making,is Hamas blocking the entrance to allow those standed on the Egyptian side,thats what i want to know. If so,why don't those stranded use the alternative route. I'm still curious.
All this b.s. about a 'prison' when they know that they can get in and out through Egypt. It was just a whip to beat Israel with. Pathetic stories that they spun. The tears of the Arab apologists. All lies. How can you trust these Palestinians? Proved to be liars again.
Nothing can make me believe that one now. How can Gaza be occupied if Egypt contols the Rafah crossing?
The FILMSY charges (whether by sympathisers or ardent terrorist supporters) levied against Israel have ALWAYS been that the stranded people have NO OTHER WAY to go back into gaza. As proven with this account, there is ANOTHER WAY. So your question is actually irrelevant.
CK Tan please explain why those 2,000 stranded in Egypt don't use the alternative route to Gaza that runs through neighbouring Israel,is it Hamas who forbids them entry?just curious.
It is simply HAMASTAN calyphate !
Egypt clearly had no hesitation in using the Rafiah crossing. All that talk about contracts and combines is just so much hot air. It should now be clear to all that if Egypt so wishes it can supply anything it wants to Gaza, including materials for schoolbooks, medicines, fuel, food and all the necessities of life.
of preventing Palestinian students from leaving Gaza (Don Camillo et al) - for your attention! Will you apologise fr your baseless nonsense? Heaven forbid!
Nearly one hundred terrorists, some apparently even armed, who have been trained by Iran and Syria, have been let into Gaza by Egypt in clear breach of agreements with Israel. The EU border guards were passive bystanders as expected.
According to Kol Yisrael Egypt allowed 85 Palestinians (mostly Hamas) to return to the Gaza Strip through Rafiach without informing the EU monitors. In "parallel" Israel is releasing 87 Palestinian convicted terrorists (mostly Fatach). The only doubt expressed by Kol Yisrael was whether the Hamas returnees were bringing money or arms. Obviously both!
"Palestinian diplomats in Cairo estimate that 2,000 Palestinians remain stranded in Egypt, including university students, people who had sought medical care abroad, and people who had been visiting relatives at the time of the Gaza takeover." The terrorists have made asses out of the Israel-bashers here by exposing their "it's all Israel's fault" fallacies that the stranded people cannot return. No, they WANT to leave the sick and the ordinary citizens stuck at the the other side so that they can MILK full PROPAGANDA, the same SICK way they use HUMAN SHIELDS to cover for them during battles. All the big talk about making gaza a better place for the ordinary palestinians is just a big charade. When it comes to the crunch, the pious thugs CLEARLY show they don't care about the common people.
So it makes no difference who went to Egypt and who went to Gaza....