A border crossing at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip was opened for a brief window of three days on Monday amid controversy. The Rafah border crossing is controlled by Egypt. Movement in and out of Gaza has been tightly controlled by both Egypt and Gaza since a Hamas-backed government took control there in 2007.
Egypt’s narrow reprieve on movement this week is the third time in less than a year that they have opened the border to allow the passage of humanitarian aid and some individuals.
Previous shipments of goods and supplies for people in Gaza were sent in cooperation with British member of Parliament, George Galloway. The convoys, dubbed “Lifeline 1” and Lifeline 2,” were sent in March and July 2009.
Galloway’s convoys are sent through his organization Viva Palestina, which gets financial support from international donors.
The current shipment of aid from Galloway’s organization has met with difficulty, however, as Egypt refused to allow the convoy to enter Gaza through any location other than the el-Arish Port. The convoy was also launched in London on Dec. 6 without consulting or inviting the Egyptian Embassy in London, nor the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, according to the Egyptian government.
Galloway and the convoy arrived in Egypt late Monday, and all materials have passed through Egyptian customs.
The convoy includes over 500 people from 20 countries, traveling in 250 vehicles with with humanitarian aid, according to the Viva Palestina Web site.
Egypt’s narrow reprieve on movement this week is the third time in less than a year that they have opened the border to allow the passage of humanitarian aid and some individuals.
Previous shipments of goods and supplies for people in Gaza were sent in cooperation with British member of Parliament, George Galloway. The convoys, dubbed “Lifeline 1” and Lifeline 2,” were sent in March and July 2009.
Galloway’s convoys are sent through his organization Viva Palestina, which gets financial support from international donors.
The current shipment of aid from Galloway’s organization has met with difficulty, however, as Egypt refused to allow the convoy to enter Gaza through any location other than the el-Arish Port. The convoy was also launched in London on Dec. 6 without consulting or inviting the Egyptian Embassy in London, nor the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, according to the Egyptian government.
Galloway and the convoy arrived in Egypt late Monday, and all materials have passed through Egyptian customs.
The convoy includes over 500 people from 20 countries, traveling in 250 vehicles with with humanitarian aid, according to the Viva Palestina Web site.
