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Stranded on the Egypt-Gaza Border
| Owww! Stop plucking on my heart strings like that! |
RAFAH, Egypt, Aug. 1 -- Like thousands of other Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who do not have access to advanced medical care, Hani Hindi traveled across the border to Cairo for specialized treatment. Three months ago, Hindi said, he had been shot by Israeli soldiers in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis while sniping at some Joooos installing a rooftop satellite dish. But when he tried to return to his sniper nest home two weeks ago, Hindi said, he was stunned to find that Israel, which controls all access to Gaza with fences and military patrols, had closed the gates on July 17 and was letting no one in or out.
| Stunned? He can have any range of emotions he wants, but "stunned" and "surprised" shouldn't be two of them. |
Hindi, 22, and his wife, Malina, who is perpetually eight months pregnant, have been stranded since then at the Rafah border crossing with about 2,500 other Palestinians who are unable to cross into Gaza but lack the money or travel papers necessary to return to Egypt.
| Funny how their brother Arabs aren't exactly welcoming them back, eh? |
Hundreds of men, women and children -- many of whom, like Hindi, are returning home after medical procedures not available in the Gaza Strip -- are crowded into the crossing's arrival and departure halls, according to aid groups and people inside reached by cellular telephone.
Posted by: Steve White 2004-08-02 |
