Egypt hesitant to ease Gaza siege - says fears Israel will permanently seal Kerem Shalom

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Egypt has not made a final decision on ending the blockade of Gaza or conceding to requests by the Hamas government to create a free-trade zone in Gaza, officials say.

A source in Hamas said Friday that Egypt is concerned that if it opens the Rafah crossing, Israel will have a pretext for permanently sealing the Kerem Shalom terminal with Gaza.

Egypt is also trying to resolve a number of crises in the Sinai, and this is distracting attention from the Gaza situation, the source explained.

The Hamas government's economy minister Hisham Qandil told Ma'an that Gaza-based premier Ismail Haniyeh delivered proposals on a Rafah trade zone during his visit to Cairo.

Egyptian officials agreed to study the proposals for bringing gas and petroleum into the territory as well as the long-discussed possibility of opening a free trade zone at Rafah.

Ismail al-Hayya, a Hamas leader, told Ma'an that the Islamic movement was committed to resolving Gaza's access issues.

”The establishment of a free trade area will help us to get rid of the dependency on the occupation and its taxes,” he said, referring to Israeli customs duties. more

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