Palestinian left-wing groups urge Egypt to reopen Rafah crossing

Two Palestinian left-wing groups on Sunday called on Egypt to reopen Rafah crossing point on the border between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Rafah terminal has been totally closed since March 11, said leaders of the two groups, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).

Rabah Muhana, a senior PFLP leader, said in an emailed press statement that the Palestinians understand the national security needs of Egypt, especially in the Peninsula of Sinai.

"But the national, legal and humanitarian duties of Egypt towards the Palestinians and Gaza are to reopen Rafah crossing point permanently and resolve all the remaining problems," said Muhana.

The Gaza PFLP leader urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Islamic Hamas movement to resolve their disputes, bridge the gaps between them, and agree on reopening the only crossing for Gaza to the outside world.

Meanwhile, Zeyad Garghoun, Gaza leader of the DFLP, also said in a press statement sent to Xinhua that Palestinians look for a bigger Egyptian role to relax the suffering of the populations in the Gaza Strip.

"The concerned parties must look for a mechanism that leads with reopening Rafah crossing because it is the only exit and entrance for Gaza populations and connects the outside world with us," said Jarghoun.

Since the beginning of this year, Egypt has just temporarily reopened Rafah border crossing for five days only, while the Gaza-based Ministry of Health warned that there are 4,000 patients who are in need of outside treatment.

Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has been facing difficulties to be permanently reopened since the ouster of Islamist Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, to which Hamas is loyal.