RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Palestinian thronged out of Gaza into Egypt for a second consecutive day on Thursday to stock up on supplies after militants blew open the border of the Hamas-run territory.The area where several border walls stood in the town of Rafah less than two days ago assumed the feel of a busy bazaar, as under sunny skies crowds took advantage of a rare chance to leave the fenced-off Gaza Strip unhindered. Stands selling falafel and other fast-food sprouted up to cater to the throngs of shouting, jostling people, intent on buying goods on the Egyptian side a week after Israel imposed a blockade on the impoverished, densely populated territory.
| Life sounds good. Why not stay in the Sinai? |
Since militants set off explosions bringing down stretches of the walls that mark the border between Gaza and Egypt in the divided town of Rafah on Tuesday night, tens of thousands of Gazans have flooded out. Shelves in numerous stores on the Egyptian side of the town of Rafah and in the North Sinai provincial capital of El-Arish further west have emptied because of the unexpected influx, witnesses said.
Amid the hustle and bustle, with shouts of people intermingling with the noise of goats and car horns, 40-year-old Fawsa Al Jisha stood out as she stood gazing around surrounded by her nine daughters. ‘I just came here to smell the liberty,’ she said. ‘I haven’t left Gaza for a really long time.’
