A resident of Gaza City said he hoped he will be able to travel abroad for studies.“I have been waiting for several years to pursue graduate studies in Europe,” he told The Jerusalem Post in a phone call. “I hope they will let me travel this time.”Since the ousting of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, Cairo has seldom opened Rafah. The crossing was open for 42 days in 2016 and for 36 days in 2017, according to Gisha, an Israeli NGO that tracks human rights issues in Gaza.In addition, some 30,000 Gazans including students, business people and ill persons are on the waiting list to travel from Gaza to Egypt, Gisha spokeswoman Shai Grunberg said.Israel also controls a pedestrian crossing with Gaza. While the country allows people to pass through it daily, it heavily limits the number of people who have access to it.The IDF holds that the restrictions are in place for security purposes.جانب من معاناة المسافرين بمعبر رفح البري في أول أيام الفتح الاستثنائي و"المفاجئ" للمعبر pic.twitter.com/sa4u4yGF8S
— وكالة شهاب (@ShehabAgency) February 7, 2018
Egypt decides to temporarily open Rafah crossing
A resident of Gaza City said he hoped that he will be able to travel abroad for studies.
