500 stranded Egyptians in Gaza allowed home

Egypt gave the green light on Tuesday for 500 of its nationals trapped in Hamas-ruled Gaza to leave the Palestinian territory through the Rafah border crossing, an AFP correspondent said.

All 500 will have returned home by Wednesday, an Egyptian security source told AFP.

Mostly women and children, the 500 were trapped nearly two months ago inside the impoverished territory which has a 14-kilometre (nine-mile) frontier with Egypt.

They had entered Gaza to visit relatives after Islamist Hamas militants used explosives and a bulldozer on January 23 to breach the border amid a continuing Israeli blockade of the strip because of rocket attacks on the Jewish state.

On Sunday, nearly 200 Egyptians tried to force their way into the Rafah border terminal, and about 70 were able to cross before being driven back by baton-wielding Egyptian police.

Egyptian authorities refused to let them leave Gaza, saying their reasons for being in the densely-populated coastal strip were "unknown", a security source said.

Security sources also said that around 30 goods-laden Palestinian vehicles stranded on the Egyptian side of the border will be allowed to re-enter Gaza.

For nearly two weeks after the border was breached, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians streamed out of Gaza to stock up on vital supplies denied them because of the Israeli blockade.

The frontier was finally resealed on February 3 by Egyptian security forces and Hamas militants.