Shadi al-Menei, the commander of ISIS in the Sinai, is now meeting with Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip to discuss ways that the terrorist groups can increase cooperation and coordinate attacks, The Times of Israel reported on Thursday, citing Israel’s Channel 2.
Advertisement
Egyptian authorities will open the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for two days to allow for the passage of stranded individuals and facilitate humanitarian aid, an Egyptian official at the border told MENA.
The Rafah border crossing.
“I don’t know how Hamas thinks and what is the real reason that makes it insisting on keeping its grip on Rafah crossing because as long as it keeps its control in such a way amid the opposition of Egypt, I don’t think that the crisis will be over soon”, said Atallah. The agreement specified that 750 Egyptian border guards would be deployed along the length of the border, and both Egypt and Israel pledged to work together to stem terrorism, arms smuggling, and other illegal cross-border activities.
The deal bypassed the authority of the militant Islamic movement Hamas, which seized control of Gaza from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority in 2007. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry says this year, the Rafah crossing worked in two directions for an intermittent 19 days.
Al-Bozom said that only 500 Palestinians passed through the crossing on both Thursday and Friday.
According to the Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, Rafah was closed for a total of 306 days throughout the course of 2015.
Advertisement
Hamas has in the past accused Fayyad of besieging the Gaza Strip since the party ruled the costal enclave after rounds of fighting with PNA loyalists.
