The first batch of 100-strong stranded Palestinians in Egypt near the border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday were on their way back to their homes in the strip, Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Monzer al-Dijani told Xinhua.
The stranded Palestinians started in the morning from the Rafah terminal on the Gaza-Egypt border to head for Israel via Aloja terminal and then back to the Gaza Strip, according to al-Dijani.
The kind of trip will continue in batches until all the Palestinians stranded at the Egyptian side of Rafah terminal since mid-June are back home, said officials in the Palestinian embassy here.
The second batch, including 500 Palestinians will be allowed into the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency.
Earlier, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which took over the coastal Gaza Strip on June 14 after defeating its rival Fatah movement, has insisted that the 6,000 Palestinian travelers should pass through the Rafah terminal, the only gateway to the outside world bypassing Israel.
Thousands of Palestinians, who left the Gaza Strip through Rafah crossing before Hamas took control of the strip, were not able to go back to Gaza after the crossing was shut down.
The stranded Palestinians in Egypt have been living in harsh conditions. International aid groups have repeatedly called for a speedy solution to the crisis.
Source: Xinhua
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