Israel voices 'great concern' over Gaza pilgrims' return
JERUSALEM (AFP) — A senior Israeli official on Thursday voiced concern over Egypt's decision to let more than 2,000 Palestinians return to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, branding some of the group terrorists.
"Israel views with great concern the unsupervised passage into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing point of a group of Muslim pilgrims associated with Hamas, amongst them terrorist operatives," the official told AFP.
The pilgrims, returning from the Muslim hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, had been stranded in Egypt after Israel insisted they use a crossing through Israel into Gaza so they could undergo security checks.
Hamas, the Islamist movement which seized control of Gaza last June, had insisted that the pilgrims return through the Rafah crossing, the only one which bypasses Israel, for fear that many would be arrested.
On Wednesday, the pilgrims were given approval to use the Rafah checkpoint despite Israeli condemnation, adding to tensions over accusations by the Jewish state that Egypt is not doing enough to stop weapons smuggling into Gaza.
"The group's passage via Rafah harms efforts to counter terrorism as well as the attempts to bring calm in the region and to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process," the Israeli official said on condition of anonymity.
The Rafah crossing, the only gateway to Gaza not operated by Israeli forces, was supposed to be staffed by international observers and have cameras running to allow Israel to continue monitoring those passing through.
But it has opened only rarely since Gaza militants captured an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid in June 2006, and the observers withdrew completely after Hamas seized control of the territory last June.
