Egypt closes Gaza border Feb 3, 2008
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Egyptian troops closed the last breach in Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, ending 11 days of free movement for Palestinian residents of the blockaded territory, witnesses and Hamas security officials said. The troops were allowing Gazans and Egyptians to cross the border to return to their homes on the other side, the witnesses and officials said, but prevented any new cross-border movement. (USA Today)
Hamas rally at Rafah crossing Feb 2, 2008
Palestinians had flooded into Egypt through Rafahto shop and meet relatives [AFP. Hundreds of Hamas supporters have staged a rally on the breached Gaza-Egypt Rafah border to demand that it remain open ... Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland, reporting from Rafah, said that Hamas staged Friday's rally "to remind people that while they may have broken the siege in the south, Gaza is still very much blockaded by Israel from the north and east". (Aljazeera.Net)
Hamas defies attempts to seal Gaza border Feb 2, 2008
RAFAH, Gaza Strip Hamas militants on Friday hauled away metal spikes that Egyptian soldiers had placed at sections of the Gaza-Egypt border, defying attempts to reseal the frontier and stop the influx of blockade-weary Gazans. Ever since Hamas-allied militants toppled the border wall Jan. 23 with a series of explosions, Hamas militants have stopped several attempts by Egypt to reseal the frontier. (Globe and Mail)
Putting Humpty Together Again in Gaza Feb 2, 2008
Palestinians pass by the destroyed part of the Egyptian-Gaza border in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, January 31, 2008 ... Needing a Palestinian partner to police the Rafah crossing, President Hosni Mubarak had invited his Palestinian counterpart to meet with leaders of the Islamist movement that has, since last summer, been the only effective authority in Gaza ... Two years after the Palestinians' legislative elections made clear that Hamas cannot be ignored, the explosions at the Rafah crossing... (Time.com)
Jerusalem diaryGazans breathe a little freedom but harsh realities remain Jan 29, 2008
But away from the delight and the novelty down in Rafah, life ground on ... With much fanfare from EU headquarters in Brussels, Eubam began its work, in November 2005, helping to monitor the Rafah crossing ... No-one from Eubam has been to Rafah since 13 June last year, when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip. (BBC News -- Africa)
Israel bars aid convoy to Gaza Jan 29, 2008
Several of the speakers at the Erez crossing on Saturday praised Gazans on breaching the Rafah border last week, while condemning both Qassam rocket attacks from the strip on the Israeli border town of Sderot and Israeli military attacks on Gaza ... In recent weeks, and especially before the Hamas breach of the Rafah border crossing, much of the Israeli media focus was on the rocket attacks on Sderot ... Several Israeli speakers praised Gazans forbreaching the Rafah border last week [AFP. (Aljazeera.Net)
Gaza: The Basics Jan 29, 2008
From November 2005 until July 2007, the Rafah Crossingthe only entry-exit point along the Gaza-Egypt borderwas jointly controlled by Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, with the European Union monitoring Palestinian compliance on the Gaza side. After the Hamas takeover in June 2007, the European Union pulled out of the region, and Egypt agreed with Israel to shut down the Rafah Crossing, effectively sealing off the Gaza Strip on all sides. (Slate)
Gazans head home as Egypt chokes off supplies Jan 28, 2008
RAFAH, Egypt, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Thousands of Palestinians streamed home through the breaches in Gaza's border with Egypt on Sunday after Egyptian authorities choked off supplies to the area and moved to restore control ... A Reuters reporter on the Egyptian side of the border town of Rafah on Sunday saw thousands of Palestinians leaving Egypt, dwarfing the number of those crossing in from the Gaza Strip ... Merchants in Rafah said they were struggling to resupply their shops with food and... (AlertNet)
Gazans' shopping spree in Rafah Jan 28, 2008
Abdel-Rahman Hussein in Rafah ... When Hamas fighters blew holes in the Rafah border wall with Egypt last weekend, teeming masses of Gazans flooded through, beset by sheer desperation in search of food and medicines ... Hatem Hussain travelled 45km from his home in Bait Lahya in northern Gaza with his wife and son and had been in Rafah for two days buying household goods. (Aljazeera.Net)
Gaza's falling wall changes Middle East map for ever Jan 27, 2008
By mid-afternoon, as the news had spread through Gaza that Egypt was accessible by car, and not just by foot, the cars, buses and lorries snaked from the border, through Rafah and Khan Younis and up to Gaza City in a column in perpetual motion ... While some politicians suggested last week that the fall of the Rafah wall was an opportunity to hand responsibility for Gaza to Egypt, that, too, shows signs of a deep naivety ... Which leaves Gaza where it was before the Rafah border crumbled: an... (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
700 000 Gazans swarm into Egypt Jan 27, 2008
Since militants set off explosions bringing down stretches of the walls that mark the border between Gaza and Egypt in the divided town of Rafah on Tuesday night, hundreds of thousands of Gazans have flooded out ... The Rafah border area resembled a busy bazaar on Thursday ... "They want everything because there's nothing in Gaza," said pharmacist Hajj Khalil, dumbfounded by the rush on his stocks which have left his shop shelves virtually empty, like those of many others in Rafah and the nearby... (iAfrica.com)
Ian Black on Mubarak's woes Jan 26, 2008
Scenes depicting tens of thousands of people streaming across the breached border fence at Rafah, driven by desperation with the tightening Israeli blockade, graphically underlined the danger of instability and violence exploding from Gaza's pressure cooker into Egypt proper ... He dare not risk alienating the Israelis or the Americans (who fund Egypt to the tune of $2bn a year): thus the speedy response to demands that he close the Rafah border. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Egypt moves to control Gaza breach Jan 25, 2008
RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Egyptian security forces began imposing control over the country's breached border with the Gaza Strip yesterday, using clubs and dogs to police the thousands of Gazans still making their way past barricades blown up or toppled by Palestinian gunmen a day earlier. Some Israeli officials said the breach would allow them to push responsibility for Gaza's 1. (Boston Globe)
Newsweek: The public relations war in Gaza Jan 24, 2008
After masked men blew a series of huge holes in the border fence late last night, thousands of Palestinians streamed through the holes and swarmed the streets of the Egyptian border town of Rafah, clearing local shops of whatever they could manage to buy and carry off: milk, powdered detergent, the occasional motorcycle ... With Hassan Jarrah in Rafah. (MSNBC -- International)
Ian Black: Alarm for Egypt Jan 24, 2008
With Egyptian riot police deployed along the border at Rafah after it was breached by thousands of Palestinians, President Hosni Mubarak is pulling out the stops to get Israel to ease its restrictions ... Last month he faced criticism that Palestinians returning from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca were allowed to enter Rafah without passing through Israeli security, smuggling in millions of dollars said to have been supplied by Iran ... Under the law of unintended consequences, the crisis in Rafah... (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Gazans pour into Egypt for second day Jan 24, 2008
The area where several border walls stood in the town of Rafah less than two days ago assumed the feel of a busy bazaar, as under sunny skies crowds took advantage of a rare chance to leave the fenced-off Gaza Strip unhindered ... Since militants set off explosions bringing down stretches of the walls that mark the border between Gaza and Egypt in the divided town of Rafah on Tuesday night, hundreds of thousands of Gazans have flooded out, according to the UN. ... Shelves in numerous stores on... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Briefing by National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on the President's Upcoming Trip to the Middle East Jan 4, 2008
Q Steve, what did you make of the decision by the Egyptian government yesterday to allow some 2,200 individuals -- most of them pilgrims, but quite a number of them, perhaps as many as 200, described by the Israeli government as Hamas terrorists, some who had received training in Iran, allegedly -- to cross through the Rafah border crossing, in violation of previous agreements with both the Americans and the Israelis. What did you make of that decision. (White House News Releases)
Palestinians killed in Gaza raids Jan 4, 2008
Describing some of the raids, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza said: "Israeli helicopters fired at least two missiles at a position manned by the Qassam Brigades to the west of Rafah, wounding four Palestinians. Injured Palestinians received medical attention at a hospital in Khan Yunis on Thursday [AFP] "Another air raid targeting the Shujaiya neighbourhood of eastern Gaza killed one Palestinian and wounded three others. "This attack was preceded by Israeli bombing of three houses owned by... (Aljazeera.Net)
Lendman: Annapolis Hypocrisy Dec 4, 2007
-- conducted 12 incursions into the West Bank and two into Gaza; targeted in the West Bank were al-Bireh and the neighboring al-Am'ari refugee camp; Ramallah; Jenin town and refugee camp; Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya; and Nablus and neighboring Balata and Ein Beit al-Maa refugee camps; Gaza targets included al-Shouka village, east of Rafah; in all cases, civilians were victimized ... Rafah International Crossing bordering Egypt is Gaza's only connection to the outside world, and it's been... (Zmag.org)
Alan JohnstonBBC man answers your questions about Gaza kidnap ordeal Oct 30, 2007
From Jenin to Rafah, people took to the streets in my support. I am especially grateful to the Palestinian journalists who led the campaign with such determination. (BBC News -- Africa)
Dinner with Hamas Oct 26, 2007
There were reports that the Israeli army was planning a large incursion and intended to cut the strip in two, separating Rafah and the south from Gaza City and the north. This meant I had the opportunity to have dinner with Hamas, and witness an internal debate within the senior leadership that is rarely seen by outsiders, particularly those from the west. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Hamas, protesters clash in Gaza Sep 8, 2007
Masked members of the Hamas Executive Force moved to detain a Fatah supporter during clashes at a protest following prayers in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday. (ASSOCIATED PRESS). (Boston Globe)
Hamas clashes with Gaza worshippers Sep 8, 2007
In Rafah, in the south of the territory, Hamas police fired bullets in the air to break up a gathering of would-be worshippers and made further arrests. Executive Force members also used batons to disperse protesters in the north. (Aljazeera.Net)
Hamas blocks Fatah protests in Gaza Sep 8, 2007
In southern Rafah, masked security men brandishing sticks and guns chased Fatah supporters from a public square ... Hundreds defied the ban on open-air worship and prayed outside the Rafah mosque. (International Herald Tribune)
Hamas gunmen open fire at border protest, killing Gaza teen Sep 2, 2007
RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Hamas gunmen opened fire on their own supporters yesterday, killing a teenager at a protest on the Gaza-Egypt border, hospital officials said. Tens of thousands of flag- waving Hamas supporters gathered at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt to demand it be reopened ... "This is a peaceful protest to voice our message that we are looking for freedom," said Issa Mashar, a top Hamas leader in Rafah. (Boston Globe)
Eleven injured in largest Gaza protest Sep 1, 2007
Eleven protesters suffered minor injuries in Gaza City and Rafah, and a French journalist working for the Arte television channel was slightly wounded by a stun grenade ... In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, nearly 5,000 protesters threw stones and the Executive Force paramilitary fired into the air. (Times Online)
Hess: Palestine since Disengagement Aug 25, 2007
Human Rights Watch writes that, in 2006, "The closure of Gaza was more complete than at any time since the outbreak of the intifada in 2000, with the Rafah international border, Erez crossing, and other crossings into Israel designed for the transport of goods closed entirely or opened only irregularly, with disastrous effects on Gazan exports and imports."[25. Amnesty International writes: "The extent of the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for most of 2006 has been unprecedentedthe long... (Zmag.org)
Hamas flexes it muscles Aug 16, 2007
A week earlier, a group of armed men, some in masks, others in police uniforms, broke into the office of a Fatah MP in Rafah, southern Gaza. Ashraf Jumaa, one of only a handful of Fatah politicians who has stayed in Gaza, was beaten on the head with a rifle butt and an aide was shot in the leg in what appeared to be a warning. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Nasser: Gaza Trespass Aug 15, 2007
The Rafah crossing point with Egypt, the only outlet of Gaza to the outside world, was closed in June, stranding more than 6. 000 returning Palestinians on the Egyptian side for more than two months, which resulted in the death of 33 of them according to the U.N.; more than 90 people, many of them seriously ill, who went to Egypt for treatment, were trapped at the airport, according to a joint statement by 12 human rights organizations active in PA territories. (Zmag.org)
Putin Emphasizes Support for Abbas Aug 1, 2007
"Thousands of people who wanted to cross the border have been stranded at the border between Egypt and the Palestinian territory," he said, referring to the Rafah crossing on Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip. Abbas also urged friendly nations to send humanitarian aid to help prop up the Palestinian economy. (The Moscow Times)
Blair's well-trodden road to Damascus Jul 24, 2007
He ordered the relocation of British General Headquarters from Cairo to Rafah, hard by the British forward positions facing Gaza ... At Rafah he pored over historical studies: the defeat of the Philistines by the Chaldean Babylonians in 604 BC; Crusader victories and setbacks between 1099 and 1270; the campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799. (Asia Times Online)
Palestinian union hit on all sides Jul 21, 2007
" Fight for rights The PGFTU campaign for the rights of workers in the Palestine territories. The union was established in 1965, and has offices and representatives in many areas from Rafah to Jenin. Matt Egan, an international officer for Unison, the UK's biggest trade union, said: "By crossing sectarian and national boundaries with their outlook, trade unionists are incredibly vulnerable in places such as the Palestine territories. "They challenge the agendas of Hamas, Fatah and Israel, and... (Aljazeera.Net)
Hamas: Israel, Abbas conspiring to kill our leaders Jul 20, 2007
Calling on Abbas to step down, the Hamas leader asked: "What kind of a president is this who calls on the enemy to attack his own people? How can he remain in his job after he has asked the Americans to occupy the Gaza Strip when their forces are being defeated in Afghanistan and Iraq? Abbas is also trying to starve his people by closing the Rafah border crossing. Where in the world is there a president who seeks to starve his people and increase their suffering?". Zahar criticized Abbas for his... (Jerusalem Post)
Abbas asks PLO to call elections Jul 19, 2007
" Abbas also blamed Hamas for the plight of thousands of Palestinians who are stranded at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza. He said his Palestinian authority had reached an agreement with Israel to run the crossing with European observers, but when Hamas overran the crossing, the observers had left and the crossing remained closed. "What can we do now. They have closed the crossing. (Aljazeera.Net)
UN warns of Gaza collapse Jul 19, 2007
A Palestinian boy moving bags of food aid from the UN at a warehouse in the Rafah Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip ... Asked whether Israel and Egypt were keeping Karni and Rafah shut in part because Abbas asked them to, Miri Eisin, the spokeswoman for the Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, said: "Our clear-cut policy is to do it in coordination with President Abbas. We're not doing anything Abbas opposes, and we've opposed nothing he's asked us to do. We both agree on the complete... (International Herald Tribune)
Abu Marzook: Hamas' stand Jul 19, 2007
I, for one, do not trouble myself over "recognizing" Israel's right to exist this is not, after all, an epistemological problem; Israel does exist, as any Rafah boy in a hospital bed, with IDF shrapnel in his torso, can tell you. This dance of mutual rejection is a mere distraction when so many are dying or have lived as prisoners for two generations in refugee camps. (Zmag.org)
This Week in Palestine Week 28 2007 Jul 14, 2007
This Week in Palestine Week 28 2007 - International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC (International Middle East Media Center)
Analysis: Hamas won the battle - and it may win the war, too Jul 13, 2007
First, following the collapse of the Rafah agreement, Hamas had to ensure the continued operation of the border crossings in order to provide for the basic needs of the population. Second, the Arab League's negative reaction to the coup, and the Egyptian pullout of its diplomatic delegation from Gaza, seemed to have isolated Hamas. (Jerusalem Post)
Hamas Mickey's Death Shall Not Be in Vain! Jul 3, 2007
"You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists," he would tell his tyke viewers, singing "Rafah sings 'Oh, oh,' its answer is the AK-47," "Oh Jerusalem, it is the time of death," and other bomb-strapped kids' classics ... "You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists," he would tell his tyke viewers, singing "Rafah sings 'Oh, oh,' its answer is the AK-47," "Oh Jerusalem, it is the time of death," and other bomb-strapped kids' classics ... Palestinians chant... (Townhall.com)
Israel lifts economic boycott Jul 2, 2007
SUBSCRIBE NOW A daily digest of news and talking points. Our daily business newsletter. (iAfrica.com)
Voices from GazaHamas restores order - but Palestinians consider the future Jun 22, 2007
AWAD KESHTA, 48, UNIVERSITY LECTURER, RAFAH. I live in Rafah but travel to Gaza City for work. (BBC News -- Africa)
Bush, Olmert say they'll aid Abbas Jun 21, 2007
" But the leaders may find they have to navigate a difficult course in trying to promote Abbas' West Bank-based government as the democratic choice. Hamas was thrust into power last year as the result of U.S.-backed democratic elections. And under the Palestinians' basic law, Abbas' new emergency government can remain in power for only 60 days. In addition, some analysts say Abbas may be unwilling to be closely identified as the American and Israeli ally at a time his party's chief rival, Hamas,... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Abunimah et al.: Gaza Jun 18, 2007
Any individuals can walk from Beit-Hanoon, in the north of the Gaza Strip to Rafah City in far south of the Gaza Strip, enjoying full safety without being ambushed or killed or his car stolen ... The day I was trying to leave -- it took me several days to leave because the Rafah crossing of course, which is still controlled by Israel, and the only outlet for Gazans to the outside world, is open less than a quarter of the time and is extremely difficult for people to pass ... As I was leaving... (Zmag.org)
* Arab League stands by Abbas, appeals for calm Jun 17, 2007
The mission's 18 members crossed into Egypt late on Friday, officials at the Rafah border crossing said ... Hours later, an Egyptian security delegation in Gaza also crossed, returning home after failing its mediation efforts between the warring factions, said an official at the Rafah border crossing. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Gaza-Westbank – ICRC Bulletin No. 22 / 2007 Jun 16, 2007
A Hamas fighter takes position inside a scanning machine in the customs hall of the Rafah crossing border, between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip, after they captured it, June 15, 2007. URL: http://www. (AlertNet)
Battle claims Palestinian government Jun 15, 2007
He took the step after Hamas forces seized Fatah-controlled security compounds in Gaza City and the southern city of Rafah ... The EU suspended humanitarian programs in Gaza and its monitoring mission at the Rafah crossing with Egypt yesterday because of security concerns. (Boston Globe)
Hamas tightens its grip on Gaza Jun 15, 2007
Hamas also seized control of Rafah in the south, Gaza's third-largest city, according to witnesses and security officials ... In Rafah, Hamas took over the Preventive Security building, according to witnesses and said Col. Nasser Khaldi, a senior police official. (DeKalb Daily Chronicle, IL)
'They are executing them one by one'... Jun 15, 2007
Meanwhile, an Israeli tank shell struck a group of siblings near the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on Thursday, Hamas security officials said ... Hamas security officials said they were from the Bedouin community of Showka, east of Rafah ... Hamas also seized control of Rafah in the south, Gaza's third-largest city, according to witnesses and security officials. (The Drudge Report)
BATTLE FOR GAZA Jun 15, 2007
Hamas also seized control of Rafah in the south, Gaza's third-largest city, according to witnesses and security officials ... " In Rafah, Hamas took over the Preventive Security building, according to witnesses and Col. Nasser Khaldi, a senior police official. A resident who gave his name as Raed said Hamas had raised its green flags over the building, Fatah-allied security forces had fled, and men carried away equipment from inside. Gaza hospitals were operating without water, electricity and... (The Drudge Report)
Fearful Palestinians 'see separation coming' Jun 14, 2007
Witnesses said that Hamas, which was already in control of much of the northern half of Gaza, seized the central city of Khan Younis Wednesday and was beginning a co-ordinated assault on the southern city of Rafah. Hamas men controlled the north-south road that is the territory's main transportation corridor. (Globe and Mail)
'They destroyed our lives' Jun 9, 2007
I was a school supervisor at the time and the head of the Rafah educational department ... A tank battalion was deployed inside Rafah and one boy tried to shoot at one of the tanks ... Then the occupying troops surrounded the Shaboora camp in Rafah and hit it hard. (Aljazeera.Net)
Al Qaeda spurs Gaza carnage to create Hamastan May 28, 2007
Only last week, the credibility of these warnings was vindicated when a group believed to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda, or at least espousing its ideology, attacked a UNWRA-run school celebration in Rafah, in the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, killing one person and injuring five others. The attack in Rafah, along with other recent sporadic incidents including the yet-to-be-resolved kidnapping of BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston, are being seen as ominous signs for the future ... " It would... (Defense Update)
Lendman: 40 Years of Occupation May 26, 2007
They also wounded 27 other Palestinians (including two journalists and a civilian bystander) by Israeli air attacks on a Rafah Executive Force site ... The important Rafah International Crossing Point has been closed since June 25, 2006 except for three days. (Zmag.org)
El-Haddad: Fanning Gaza Flames May 21, 2007
But the news that really upset many here was word of the Israeli government briefly opening the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which it has shut down 50% of the year to average residents here, to allow US-funded, Jordanian-trained, Fatah reinforcements (450 members of the elite Badr Brigade) inside. . (Zmag.org)
Gaza school festival attacked May 8, 2007
Medical staff at Rafah's Al-Najar hospital attend a man injured in the attack [AFP ... Majed Abu Shamaleh, the Fatah official whose bodyguard was killed, said the men had also tried to enter the school in Rafah as the celebration took place. (Aljazeera.Net)
Personal pleaFormer hostage in Gaza calls for Alan Johnston's release Apr 20, 2007
He described the sonic booms after the disengagement, the electricity shortages after the power plant was hit, the constant and never-ending closures that affect every part of your lives, the massacres, the medical patients suffering at Rafah crossing. Support for the Palestinians, for your brothers, sisters, daughters and sons, is being destroyed more every day that goes by with Alan in captivity. (BBC News -- Africa)
Karkar: Rachel Corrie & Palestine Mar 16, 2007
Rachel was a peace activist who had gone to Rafah in Gaza because she wanted to help bring the terrible plight of the Palestinians to the notice of the world ... In Rafah, the homes that were bulldozed stood in the way of the Separation Wall that was being built between Rafah and Egypt, and along with the family homes, greenhouses, mosques, schools and shops were also destroyed ... Today, the neighbourhood in Rafah where Rachel stayed is entirely gone. (Zmag.org)
Ziadah: Palestinian Refugees of Iraq Mar 12, 2007
The names of Palestinian refugee camps have become references to massacres and crimes committed against the Palestinian people: Sabra and Shatila (Lebanon), Jenin (West Bank), Rafah (Gaza) and today we add Al-Tanaf, Al-Hol, Al-Walid and Al-Ruweished. . (Zmag.org)
Years of Strife and Lost Hope Scar Young Palestinians Mar 12, 2007
They made it out of Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, but the Egyptians put them on a bus, locked the door and drove straight to the airport ... There they waited for days in an even more disgusting detention area, they said, until the Rafah crossing opened. (The Ledger)
Letters to the editor Feb 9, 2007
Meanwhile, Israel in 2005 razed all its Gaza Strip settlements, withdrew its military forces and turned the Gaza-Egyptian Rafah crossing point over to Palestinian control. In response, the Palestinian Arabs intensified rocket attacks, increased weapons smuggling, and reportedly instituted cooperation with Iran and Hezbollah. (Washington Times, DC)
Elmer: MacKay in Israel Jan 31, 2007
14 Palestinian fisherman were shot by Israeli navy vessels while fishing Palestinian waters off Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip ... Nor did MacKay talk about the more than into Palestinian cities and villages by the Israeli army in the last eight days, or the 14 fisherman shot off the coast of Rafah last week as they fished in Palestinian waters. (Zmag.org)
PA security foils Hamas assassinations Jan 16, 2007
PA police run along the wall that separates the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah and the border area with Egypt. Photo: AP. (Yahoo News -- Mideast Conflict)
Palestinian children embrace the UN Jan 14, 2007
Students from the American International School of Gaza cannot return home until the Rafah border opens ... "We never know when the border is open. The minute I crossed the Rafah border, I knew I was coming to Qatar." ... " Unfortunately for the students from Gaza, they will now have to spend a week in Cairo waiting for the Rafah border to open, before they can return to their school and their families. But Alia reflected on a positive conference for the students. "Everybody was here to try, to... (Aljazeera.Net)
Rice Visits a Mideast Locked in Turmoil Jan 14, 2007
On Dec. 14, 2006, Haniyeh, who had been traveling abroad, was stopped at the Rafah border crossing. He was believed to be carrying tens of millions of dollars in foreign donations for his cash-strapped government. (NPR)
Gaza - West Bank – ICRC Bulletin No. 17 / 2007 Jan 13, 2007
Since 30 December, the Rafah terminal between Gaza and Egypt, in the Gaza Strip, has been open for Palestinians returning from the Hajj pilgrimage for only three days. Among the 1. (AlertNet)
