Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh, head of both the 'Strong Egypt' party and the Arab Doctors Union, arrived in the Gaza Strip on Friday along with a team of medics to treat Palestinians injured in Israel's ongoing assault – now in its third day – on the besieged coastal territory. "The Arab Doctors Union came to Gaza to fulfill its duty," Abul-Fotouh, who ran unsuccessfully in Egypt's first free presidential elections earlier this year, said at a press conference held at Gaza City's Al-Shifaa Hospital. "It's the least we can do for our Palestinians brothers." Abul-Fotouh went on to demand the immediate opening of the Egypt-Gaza Rafah Border Crossing to allow donations and medical supplies to reach the strip's roughly 1.7 million besieged inhabitants. For the last three days, the Gaza Strip has been subject to relentless Israeli air strikes, which have so far left at least 15 dead – including a top Hamas commander and an 11-month-old baby – and 150 injured. On Wednesday, Egyptian authorities opened the border crossing – which has been tightly sealed for the most part since 2007 – to allow injured Palestinians to be transferred to the Arish General Hospital in the northeast Sinai Peninsula.
