Media coverage
Deutsche Welle (Bosnian) · 2013-08-26
DW Bosnian on the effect of Egypt’s crisis on Gaza. The Palestinian political scientist Omar Shaban calls the change in Egypt “an economic and political tsunami for Hamas”, which had received political, psychological and economic support from the Muslim Brotherhood.
And today is a day when the employee of a travel agency in Gaza, Nabil Shurafa, has to cancel or change booked flights. Since the political upheaval in Egypt, the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has been open only for a few hours a day. It often happens that it is completely closed: “Every time there is some problem in the region, the residents of Gaza have to bear the consequences. Our work in the travel agency mostly consists of taking a reservation, then canceling it, booking again, and trying to reduce the tax costs for our customers.”
Nabil Shurafa looks intently at the computer screen. He is looking for a favorable option to change a booked flight for one client. Although he has often experienced situations like this in recent years, one cannot get used to them. “People usually go to the border three or four times before they get a chance to go to Egypt. Often, however, they wait hopelessly and return, as is the case today.”
Crossing the Egyptian border at the Rafah crossing was indeed difficult even during the rule of the ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, but at least eased movement conditions were in force. Today’s travelers can only dream of that. In the waiting room near the airport terminal, frustration and tension are growing. Some travelers come every day in the hope that they will be able to leave. One Palestinian with a Norwegian passport has already been waiting for days to leave this area. During the summer he was visiting his parents in Gaza. Via Cairo airport he wants to travel back to Norway. His wife and children are waiting for him there — and his job: “Now I really have the feeling that I am in prison. For me this has terrible consequences: my employer is waiting at home, school is starting for the children, and I am not there.”
Together with other travelers, he is holding placards in his hands that are meant to draw the attention of those responsible. However, no one is interested. No one from the competent institutions is there to help. Here, no one is counting on those responsible in Hamas’s institutions because, as they say, they are currently occupied with themselves. The change of power in Egypt has badly shaken the Hamas government, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, says Palestinian political scientist Omar Shaban: “What happened in Egypt represents an economic and political tsunami for Hamas. The Muslim Brotherhood, which was in power, provided Hamas with political, psychological, and economic support.”
Tensions between Hamas and the Egyptian government
The change at the political top in Egypt is now forcing Hamas to reconsider. Observers in the Gaza Strip believe that Hamas will become even harsher in order to retain power here. In any case, it does not currently look as if relations between the Egyptian leadership and Hamas will improve anytime soon. The Egyptian army in the south of Gaza has filled in, blown up, or flooded numerous underground tunnels that stretch between the Gaza Strip and Egypt’s Sinai.
The tunnel network is a very important supply route. Foodstuffs, construction materials, but also weapons are brought in through these routes. The Hamas government, which levies taxes on those who transport goods through the tunnels, currently also has to bridge financial losses.
Authors: Tania Krämer / Belma Fazlagić-Šestić
Responsible editor: Azer Slanjankić
Text © Deutsche Welle (Bosnian) — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source