GAZA – The ruling Palestinian militant group Hamas urged European monitors to reopen Gaza’s main international gateway after it remained shut yesterday in the wake of Israeli security concerns.
The Rafah crossing with Egypt has been closed since Wednesday when the Israeli army shut the nearby Kerem Shalom passage into the southern Gaza Strip over a security alert. Monitors use the passage to get to Rafah.Hamas has said it suspected Rafah was closed to stop its government from carrying cash by hand into Gaza to sidestep a Western aid embargo.The monitors have denied the accusation.European monitors oversee Rafah under a US-brokered deal aimed at opening up Gaza after Israel withdrew settlers and soldiers from the strip last year after 38 years of occupation.”It is not acceptable to us that the sole gateway between the Gaza Strip and the outside world is closed,” said Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas.Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the monitors should carry out the task they were assigned under the Rafah agreement.- Nampa-Reuters -Monitors use the passage to get to Rafah.Hamas has said it suspected Rafah was closed to stop its government from carrying cash by hand into Gaza to sidestep a Western aid embargo.The monitors have denied the accusation.European monitors oversee Rafah under a US-brokered deal aimed at opening up Gaza after Israel withdrew settlers and soldiers from the strip last year after 38 years of occupation.”It is not acceptable to us that the sole gateway between the Gaza Strip and the outside world is closed,” said Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas.Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the monitors should carry out the task they were assigned under the Rafah agreement.- Nampa-Reuters –
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