Egypt's decision to shut its border with the Gaza Strip has stranded thousands of Palestinians on the Egyptian side of the border while around a thousand people in Gaza are desperate to get out for medical treatment in Egypt, officials in Gaza say.

Egypt closed Rafah, the only crossing point between Egypt and the Palestinian territory, Oct. 25 after attacks by Islamist militants which killed 33 Egyptian soldiers, an assault that prompted Cairo to declare a state of emergency in the area.

One of the unintended consequences of the security clampdown is that some 6,000 Palestinians are now stuck in Egypt or third countries waiting to get back into Gaza.

Israel often takes in urgent cases from Gaza, but Qudra said people are increasingly reluctant to go to Israel because they fear they will be interrogated or asked to become an informant for the government about events in Gaza.

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