MIDDLE EAST: A week after Gaza's Rafah crossing into Egypt was reopened under Palestinian control, Israel claims that up to 15 Hamas militants on its wanted list have been able to return to the Strip.
Israel defence minister Shaul Mofaz has warned his government will impose economic sanctions on Gaza by closing two crossings it still controls if militants continue to enter via Rafah.
The Hamas members allowed to return to Gaza in the past week include one of the group's founders, Ahmed al-Malah, and Fadel Zahhar, a brother of a Hamas leader, according to Israeli security officials quoted in local media. Israel Radio said the militants had either been expelled from Palestinian territories by Israel or had fled.
Israel says Palestinian border officials working under the supervision of EU monitors are not honouring an agreement to share real-time data on passengers via live video and computer links.
Israeli security personnel in a base several kilometres away can raise objections about travellers, who may be delayed for up to six hours.
While photographs have been transmitted immediately in the past week, a time lapse in conveying identification numbers means passengers have already left the terminal before Israeli security personnel can identify them.
Julio La Guardia, a spokesman for EU monitors posted at Rafah, said yesterday that delays of five to seven minutes in data transmission to Israel were due to technical problems with equipment, which were being resolved.
He added that Israel had not raised concerns about the entrance into the Strip of wanted Hamas militants in meetings between senior officials in recent days.
Israel closed the Rafah passage, Gaza's only direct gateway to the outside world, shortly before withdrawing its troops and settlers from the coastal enclave in early September.
It was initially afraid that militants or arms would flow into Gaza through Rafah, but agreed to let the crossing reopen after the Palestinians accepted the presence of EU monitors and the installation of security cameras to let Israel monitor the crossing live.
Rafah terminal reopened last week after US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice applied heavy pressure to both sides to clinch a deal.
Dr Rice has responded to Israel's complaints by dispatching a senior envoy, State Department counsellor Philip Zelikow, to examine the operation of the crossing.
As part of the borders agreement, Israel is scheduled to allow a "safe passage" bus route between Gaza and the West Bank to open on December 15th.