A Palestinian demonstrator was shot dead as he tried to reach Rafah crossing point with Egypt where tens of thousands of Hamas supporters rallied on Saturday evening to demand it be reopened, medics and witnesses said.
Witnesses said a real chaos had dominated the area, adding that leaders of Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement which controlled the coastal enclave in June, attended the rally.
Hundreds of buses mobilized thousands of men, women and children from the Gaza Strip and gathered at the borders with Egypt, just outside Rafah town, according to the witnesses.
Scores of the Hamas executive force stood on the borders' fence and prevented the protestors from reaching the crossing area, they said, adding that the forces used live ammunition to disperse them.
Earlier, Hamas called on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to gather at Rafah crossing, the only gateway to the outside world bypassing Israel, to demand the terminal be opened.
After Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in mid June, Israel had closed down all crossing points and terminals between Gaza and Israel as well as those between Gaza and Egypt, allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza only.
Rafah crossing has been operated under the monitor of European observers according to an agreement brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in November 2005.
But Israel, which pulled out from Gaza including the crossing in September 2005, refused to reopen the crossing of Rafah after Hamas controlled the Gaza Strip.
Source: Xinhua
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