EFL - JPostUp to 15 wanted Palestinian terrorists have returned to the Gaza Strip, security officials said Friday, complaining that the Palestinians have not fulfilled their obligations since taking control of their border with Egypt last week.
The Palestinians responded that they had not violated a US-brokered deal for operating the Rafah terminal, and that the fugitives had the right to return. European monitors at Rafah said they are trying to settle the dispute to protect the border agreement, the biggest diplomatic achievement since Israel's unilateral pullout from Gaza in the summer.
Palestinian security officials acknowledged that at least 10 wanted men have entered the coastal area, but said anyone with a Palestinian identity card can enter. Israel's demand that such fugitives be kept out are not part of the accord, the officials said.
One of those to enter Gaza this week was Fadel Zahar, a Hamas activist and brother of Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar.
Fadel Zahar said he was exercising his right to return after spending years in exile in Lebanon, Sudan and Syria. "I am a resident of Gaza. My family lives here. I spent all my life here, but I was deported for political reasons in 1991," he said in a telephone interview. "I am a member of Hamas, I am not a leader of Hamas, I am proud of this membership."
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