Since the fighting broke out between Hamas and Fatah thousands of Palestinians have fled to Egypt. The number of Palestinian refugees in Egypt ranges from 4,000 to 6,000. Egyptian President Mubarak stated that the refugees will remain in Egypt until the fighting subsides between the two factions. Therefore, he has shut down Egypt’s border to the Gaza Strip, the Rafah Crossing. He has also shut down air travel from Egyptian Airports to the Gaza trip, which has stranded passengers.
Consequently, 100 Palestinians have been trapped in the Arish Ariport for about 20 days. The Palestinians arrived at Arish from various countries. They had planned on stopping in Arish only to make their connecting flight to the Gaza Strip. Therefore, they did not obtain visas to enter Egypt, because they did not think they would get stuck in the country. These Palestinians have been forced into a small section of the airport, and have not been allowed to leave for any reason. The Palestinians have tried to break free, but the police forcefully restrained the crowd, injuring three people. One of the men told the Middle Eastern Times, “We are sleeping on the floor, we all share one toilet, [and] there is nowhere to take a bath or shower.” Reportedly, they have survived on water and salt, and currently, have gone on on hunger strike.
The Egyptians’ rationale for shutting down the border travel is to protect the Palestinians. The Egyptian government’s fear is that if the Palestinians enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing, they may be shot by Israelis or Hamas soldiers misidentifying them as smugglers. The Egyptians have kept the border crossings to Israel open, but many Palestinians are hesitant to cross into Israel. The Palestinians fear that the Israeli’s will cause them trouble or even arrest them. Therefore, the Palestinians are stuck in Egypt for an indefinite period of time. However, the Egyptians are trying to address the problem by setting up free health care facilities to treat the Palestinian refugees. This help may be too little because 28 Palestinians have already died with health related issues, which could be compounded with thousands of Palestinians crowding the border towns seeking to entrance into the Gaza Strip.
Daily Star Egypt. Palestinians Trapped in Arish Airport go on Hunger Strike. 9 July 2007.
Middle East News. Palestinians Trapped for Weeks in Egypt. 17 Jul 2007.
News24.com. Palestinians Trapped. 17 July 2007.
People’s Daily Online. Egypt to provide free treatment for stranded Palestinian patients at Rafah crossing. 16 July 2007.
