CAIRO: The Rafah crossing was closed again Monday after a two-day reprieve which allowed around 3,600 people to cross the Egypt-Gaza border including students studying abroad and those seeking medical attention. The two-day opening of the gate was planned ahead and in a rare occurrence on this particular border, things went according to plan. "This time was very different from all the previous times the crossing has been opened, activist in the area Mustapha Singer told Daily News Egypt, "the operation was organized and things worked well unlike all the previous times. The first day, Saturday, saw 1,900 people crossing into Egypt while 900 went in the other direction. On Sunday, 800 people entered Egypt via the crossing. "They tried to allow the stranded people from both sides to cross in the first day and the second day was for students and medical patients seeking treatment, Singer said. Egypt has intermittently reached agreements with Hamas to sometimes open the crossing to allow urgent cases stuck in Gaza to seek medical treatment or reach other countries for their studies. The agreement is an attempt to avoid a repetition of the events of January of this year, when Hamas blew up parts of the border wall and hundreds of thousands of besieged Gazans flooded into Rafah and Al-Arish to purchase urgent supplies. Since Hamas seized Gaza from the Palestinian Authority and its backer Fatah in June 2007, Israel has completely cut off the strip leading to an incredible shortage within the area and the destitution of the majority of its 1.5 million residents. The blockade has also set off a flurry of underground tunnel activity between the Egyptian and Gazan border which transports light bulbs and food alongside guns and rockets. However as the fasting month of Ramadan kicked off across the Arab world on Monday, a statement released by the Israeli Ministry of Defense alluded to a possible easing of restrictions on the Palestinians and their movement. However, the directive from the Minister of Defense Ehud Barak was not intended for the Palestinians of Gaza, but those of the West Bank and Jerusalem, i.e. those in Judea and Samaria. This easing of restrictions entails the extension of the opening hours of different checkpoints as well as the authorization of the transfer of gifts to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. Those wishing to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during Ramadan and for Eid El-Fitr prayers must fall within the following categories: Married men between the ages 45-50 and married women between the ages of 30-45 who have received permission from the Civil Administration. Men over the age of 50 and women over the age of 45 will be allowed to enter freely. "Soldiers were directed to show consideration for the population and were instructed to avoid eating, drinking and smoking in populated areas, with an emphasis on the crossings points, said the IDF statement.
