Trapped in Gaza: Rafah Crossing Closed to Palestinians After Egyptian Pledge to Reopen It

In the Gaza Strip, the Hamas government has asked Egypt to drop restrictions on the Rafah border crossing, just days after the checkpoint opened last week. In a major policy shift, Egypt’s transition government had unsealed the Rafah border after years of closure under ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. But less than a week later, Egypt imposed a cap of 400 people per day, turning back busloads of Gazans who had been cleared for passage. A few days later, the border was sealed completely, causing angry Palestinians to storm the gates in protest. Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar were among the few foreign journalists to witness the scene at the Rafah border, and they filed this report for Democracy Now! from the Gaza Strip.