CAIRO: MP Farid Ismail filed an urgent interrogation request in which he accused the government of "stealing donations intended for Gaza, he told Daily News Egypt. Ismail claims that Egyptian police raided a storage area where goods were kept by the Muslim Brotherhood to be sent to Gaza. Security forces also briefly detained the woman responsible for the storage area releasing her a few hours later, Ismail said. He cited two other incidents in which police raided other storage areas in Sheikh Zowayed near Egyptian Rafah and confiscated more than 10 tons of goods from each, also briefly detaining the storage area's owner. "The Palestinians' conditions are deteriorating and the only possible way to [get the aid through] is through the Rafah border because the rest of the borders are controlled by the Israelis. That is why it is unfair for Egyptian officials to stand in our way, Ismail told Daily News Egypt. Mustapha Singer, secretary of the Tagammu party in Sheikh Zowayed confirmed the allegations to Daily News Egypt. "This is unjustified because these donations were given by the Egyptian people and it is inconceivable that the government prevents people from helping the victims in Gaza when it is providing gas to Israel and its army at very low prices to wage war on the Palestinians, he said. Currently, according to Ismail, no food or medical equipment are permitted to enter Gaza through Rafah. "We tried to send X-ray machines that were desperately needed in Dar Al-Shifaa hospital in Gaza, but Egyptian authorities did not allow us to do so, Ismail said. Ismail is also a member of the PA's health committee and a board member of the Arab Doctors' Union. On Tuesday the Higher Administrative Court issued a court verdict disallowing any aid to be delivered to Gaza "except through official channels in Egypt. The court's decision came during the same session in which it issued its verdict allowing the Egyptian government to export gas to Israel.
