More Palestinians cross into Gaza

About 200 Palestinians stranded for months on the Egyptian border have crossed back to their homes in the Gaza Strip and more are expected to follow, Israel said today.

An Israeli defence official said 100 people crossed the frontier from Egypt into Israel at the Kerem Shalom crossing and were bussed onwards to Gaza today, the same number as crossed on Monday.

The direct crossing between Egypt and Gaza, at Rafah, was closed in June after Hamas took over the coastal strip, stranding many Palestinians on their way back from studies or medical treatment abroad.

In coordination with Israel, Egypt has since allowed several hundred Palestinians to return home by crossing through Israeli territory instead, but around 800 are believed to be still waiting to make the journey.

Their plight is unconnected to that of around 1,100 Palestinians in temporary camps around the Egyptian coastal city of el-Arish, including a number of Hamas militants, who are seeking to get back to Gaza after making the annual Muslim haj pilgrimage to Mecca, without submitting to Israeli supervision at Keren Shalom .