A group of about 250 Palestinians left Gaza Strip Sunday as Israel finally resumed busing stranded people after months of halt.
In August, Israel started to take stranded people out, mostly patients and students, through Erez crossing which leads into Israel, and then to Egypt through Nitzana crossing on the Israeli-Egyptian border. But the bus shuttle has soon been stopped, and only 550 travelers had been allowed to go out of Gaza.
In June, as response to Islamic Resistance Movement's (Hamas) taking control of Gaza Strip, Israel has closed all crossing points in and out of the Strip, including the only travelers' terminal on the Palestinian-Egyptian border in Rafah. The closure is the longest and the tightest in Gaza history.
The dispatch of travelers also included Palestinians who have residency in other countries and have been stuck in Gaza since June.
But for some people, enduring months of delay did not bring fruits. Hassan Herzallah, a father of two, said the names of his children appeared in the list of passengers allowed to leave but his name, along with his wife, did not appear.
"How can I leave them go alone... They don't know how to issue any document from Egypt in order to go to the United Arab Emirates where we live," the man said, referring to his teenage son and daughter.
Maha Meqddad, a mother of four, has also the same problem. Only her children were approved to leave. Their final destination was Doha.
Mohammed Najji, a high school student in Egypt, has been stuck in Gaza for nine months. "This is not a solution... We hope to have a final solution ending all these troubles because when we want to come back to Gaza, we will be again stranded in Egypt."
The bus service goes one way to Egypt. While more than 6,000 Palestinians who have been stuck in Egypt and want to come back to Gaza still lacks any hope of solution.
Meanwhile, Hussein al-Sheikh, director of the Palestinian civil affairs committee, which coordinates with the Israeli authorities the traveling of the stranded people, said Hajj pilgrims of Gaza will leave next Wednesday through Erez.
The pilgrims refer to the people who got their visas to Saudi Arabia and hotel reservations through the acting Palestinian government which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has formed after he lost Gaza for Hamas.
But Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas which still rules Gaza Strip, said the deposed Hamas government was holding contacts with Egypt to allow the pilgrims, who submitted through Hamas administration, to pass through Rafah crossing.
He added that Egypt has promised to solve the matter. But so far, according to Abu Zuhri, Egypt has not responded to Hamas about the time when to let the pilgrims to make their way.
Source: Xinhua
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