Zahhar: The Rafah crossing will be operational soon

Zahhar: The Rafah crossing will be operational soon

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, a senior Hamas leader, stated Saturday upon his return to Gaza that the Rafah crossing will soon be operational as a fully Palestinian-Egyptian passage thus achieving the higher interests of the two brotherly countries.


In a press conference held at the Rafah crossing, Dr. Zahhar said that Egypt promised to make efforts for the reopening of the crossing in the near future and that it will not allow the starvation of Gaza people, adding that it was agreed with the Egyptian side to form channels of communication whereby the two parties will jointly manage and organize the borders.


The Hamas leader announced that the Palestinian-Egyptian borders will be closed Sunday morning in cooperation between security men of both sides until the procedures aimed at rearranging the movement of entry and exit have been completed, pointing out that the caretaker government headed by premier Ismail Haneyya will do its utmost to control the crossing.


He explained that the coming days will witness a series of positive developments, describing his visit and the delegation accompanying him to Cairo as highly successful.


The Hamas leader underlined that it was agreed with the Egyptian health minister to sort out and prepare the names of Palestinians stranded in the Arish city including students and employees working abroad as well as patients in need of medical treatment in order to grant them travel visas for their destinations the soonest.


Simultaneously with the return of the Hamas delegation from Cairo, thousands of Palestinian women participated Saturday afternoon in a massive march organized by Hamas”s female supporters at the Rafah crossing, where they chanted slogans calling for lifting the siege and opening the Rafah crossing under Palestinian-Egyptian sovereignty.


Umm Mohammed Al-Rantisi, one of Hamas”s female leaders, stated that the march aims to send a letter to the PA leadership in Ramallah who are trying to restore the previous conditions at the crossing and bring back the Israeli occupation.