The crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip with Egypt, allowed some 6,329 people to pass through from Monday to Thursday.
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To enhance its survivability, once the truce is established, the US and the EU should remove Hamas from their terrorist lists and allow it to have greater freedom of movement, as long as it fully adheres to the terms of the truce.
The bus was carrying 50 passengers. Some militants in Sinai dress in tunic-style fatigues that are common in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two territories, which comprise the future Palestinian state in the view of the global community, are separated by Israel, although the self-rule agreements specify that they are to be treated as one territorial unit.
A bus with about fifty Palestinians on it was travelling from Rafah on the Egypt-Gaza border to Cairo airport when it was ambushed, the security sources said. The bus returned to the waiting hall in Egypt’s Rafah, as Egyptian army troops immediately rushed to the scene and secured the area.
“It seems that this time, Hamas crossed an Egyptian red line”.
The incident rattled Gazans who rarely have a chance to leave the coastal strip.
The Islamic State group has threatened Hamas after it arrested militants suspected of targeting its armed wing with a series of bombings.
However, Hamas sources lay the blame on Egyptian authorities, saying it had been in touch with Cairo to ensure the return of the abducted men.
Relations between Hamas and Egypt have deteriorated since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
“The Palestinian factions have agreed during the Cairo negotiations on a period of calm in exchange for lifting of the siege, and if the Israeli occupation is interested in the ceasefire or expanding a truce it must lift the siege on Gaza, because nothing comes without a price”, he added.
In the 2006 elections, Hamas stunned the world by gaining a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council and claiming it had a mandate to lead.
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His overthrow unleashed a deadly crackdown on Islamist protesters, and an insurgency based in Sinai.
