Report: 105 families flee Syria, enter Gaza
Palestinian families, Jihad operatives escape escalating violence, return to Gaza Strip through Egypt, Palestinian news agency says
More than 100 Palestinian families have fled Syria due the escalation in fighting between government and opposition forces, the Palestinian Maan News Agency reported Wednesday.
Hamza Abu Shanab of the Gaza-based Palestinian Coalition for the Syrian Revolution told the news agency that that 105 families originally from the Gaza Strip have returned safely through Egypt's Rafah crossing in recent days. Some of the migrants had business ties in Syria, while others were students attending local universities, the official said.
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Abu Shanab noted that 300 Palestinians were killed and 900 injured since the violence in Syria began 16 months ago. Some 10,000 Palestinians have been detained by Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces, although some have been freed.
According to the report, Palestinian terror operatives, including Ibrahim Shehada of the Islamic Jihad, have also returned to Gaza.
Hamas' government in Gaza confirmed that many Palestinians have fled Syria and entered the Strip through Rafah. The families were not ones residing in Syrian refugee camps, but ones that previously left the region.
Earlier this week, London's Asharq Alawsat newspaper reported that the Islamic Jihad's leadership has left Damascus, where it been based for years, and has relocated to Iran. Hamas leaders have reportedly left Damascus months ago.
Meanwhile, Turkey has closed its Syria border crossings to traffic and cargo, effectively cutting the trade ties with its neighbor.
Turkey's foreign trade minister, Zafer Caglayan, said that the measure was taken due to the deteriorating security situation in Syria.
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