Egypt allows Hamas members to cross into Gaza

GAZA CITY: Under a deal struck with Egypt, dozens of Hamas members were allowed to return to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing early Sunday after months of being stuck at the border, a Hamas spokesman said.   

Around 100 Palestinians crossed into Gaza from Egypt before dawn through the Rafah crossing, which has been closed since the Islamists seized power in the coastal strip in mid-June.   

"Numerous people who came back belong to Hamas," said spokesman Taher al-Nunu.

"There was an accord between the (Hamas) government of Ismail Haniya and the Egyptian side, which allowed these people to re-enter."   

There was no immediate comment from Egypt.   

The brief opening of the crossing would mark the first time that Egypt, which has closed its diplomatic representation in Gaza to protest the violent takeover by Hamas, has made a conciliatory gesture towards the Islamists.   

Thousands of Palestinians found themselves stuck on the border between Egypt and Gaza following the June 15 Hamas rout of forces loyal to president Mahmud Abbas.   

Most of them were able to return to the territory after Egypt and Israel made a special arrangement to bus them in via Israeli territory, but many Hamas members had refused the option, fearing arrest.   

Nunu said that it was in response to those fears that Egypt had allowed Sunday's brief opening of the crossing.   

"Measures were taken to arrest these people if they passed through" Israeli territory, Nunu said.    Rafah is Gaza's sole border crossing that bypasses Israel.