Gazans at Egypt border seek to escape blockade

Flow of travellers wanting to cross over remains a trickle compared to past

Separated from the impatient crowd by a flimsy barrier, Palestinian policemen read out names, their voices barely audible above the din.

Those called file forward, relieved to finally be leaving the crowded and ramshackle Gaza Strip for neighbouring Egypt, some for the first time.

Many have a single large suitcase or holdall as they sit on benches in the gymnasium which serves as a waiting room in the southern Gazan town of Khan Yunis.

From there, they board a bus for the Rafah border crossing to Egypt, about 20 minutes away. Since mid-May, after five long years in which the frontier was largely closed, Egyptian authorities have opened the crossing several days a week.

About 200 people make the trip in a day, a small number compared to the nearly two million people crammed into Gaza.

The flow of travellers remains a trickle compared to the past, said Abdullah Shahin, 32, who has been a porter at the crossing for 15 years.

Since Hamas seized control of the 360 square km territory in 2007, the Israeli occupation regime has maintained a crippling blockade and imposes tight restrictions on its sole people crossing.

Inside the gymnasium, many travellers admit having paid between $1,500 and $2,000 for what they call “coordination” to travel.