Stranded Palestinian Pilgrims Return to Gaza

By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press
January 3, 2008

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Egypt allowed more than 2,000 Palestinian Arab pilgrims to enter the Gaza Strip yesterday, drawing a fierce rebuke from Israel, which had tried to prevent top members of the militant Hamas from returning home.

Egypt's decision to open its border deepened a crisis in relations with Israel, which has accused Cairo of not doing enough to stop Palestinian smuggling of weapons and contraband into Gaza through tunnels under the border.

Israeli security officials said they expressed their outrage to Egypt, accusing the country of reneging on recent pledges to keep the border sealed.

The Muslim pilgrims left Gaza last month to make a hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. They became trapped in Egypt on Saturday when the Egyptian government — apparently at Israel's request — said they would have to cross through Israel, instead of going directly into Gaza through Rafah. At least 10 senior Hamas members, including former deputy Parliament speaker Ahmed Bahar, were among the returning pilgrims. Israel was concerned they were carrying large sums of money for Gaza's Hamas rulers, who have been under an Israeli blockade since seizing the territory from their Fatah rivals in June. Israel and America consider the Islamic militant Hamas, which is committed to Israel's destruction, a terrorist group.

The pilgrims refused to enter Israel and staged violent protests, setting fire to the desert camps where they were held.

The standoff was sensitive for the Egyptian government, which is deeply worried about being seen in the Arab world as worsening Palestinian Arabs' hardship in Gaza. Israel has sealed Gaza since the Hamas takeover.