RAFAH, Gaza Strip – Palestinian boys waded fully clothed into the Mediterranean on once-forbidden beaches. Parents guided children through demolished Jewish settlements, where scavengers grabbed everything from red roof tiles to light posts. Hundreds climbed over a wall separating Gaza and Egypt to reunite with relatives.
Gaza’s Palestinians got their first taste of freedom after Israeli troops left the coastal strip Monday. They took full possession of the territory for the first time after hundreds of years of subjugation by the Ottoman Empire, the British, the Egyptians and finally the Israelis.
The hundreds of Palestinians who clamored over the walls included Islamic militants waving the green Hamas flag. Egyptian border guards shot and killed one Palestinian; four others, who did not know how to swim, drowned after jumping into the ocean, Palestinian health officials said.
Yet for one day, euphoria poured over this overcrowded and economically depressed sliver of land. Traffic jams paralyzed Gaza as Palestinians marveled at the remnants of Israel’s 38-year occupation and went to places that had been off limits for years.
“Since last night, I have been in the street, for no reason, just to breathe the air of freedom,” said Samir Khader, a farmer in northern Gaza who had needed Israeli permits to go in and out of his village, flanked by Jewish settlements. “I don’t know what the future will bring, but at least, I can come in and out of my house at any time.”
Children jumped in the dunes along the Gaza-Egypt border, where Israeli watchtowers topped with machine guns once stood, and collected spent shell casings from the sand.
Egyptian border guards said they were letting the Palestinians blow off steam and visit relatives whom they had not seen in years. The Egyptians said they would tighten security in coming days.
The guards later shot and killed a Palestinian when dozens of teens tried to climb over the border wall, Palestinian security officials said. It was not clear why the guards took such action after letting others cross.
Important issues lie ahead, including a decision over who will control the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and whether Gaza will be allowed to open a seaport and airport, providing it unfettered links to the world. Israel retains control of Gaza’s airspace and coastal waters.
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