After back and forth between Hamas leadership and that of Egypt it is finally official that Ismail Haniyeh Hamas leader won’t be traveling outside the country. This is after Egypt rejected his request to travel out to several states after postponing their response to the matter severally. In their defense, Cairo’s cites regional security conditions as the main reason that lead to them rejecting Haniyeh request to travel outside the country. Besides that, Cairo did not provide any further reasons or explanation.

However, on the other hand, concerned parties have rejected the reasons that Cairo gave while rejecting Haniyeh travel request. In their view, the Egyptian government rejected his international tour request as a sign of protest. In one of the news sites a Hamas source said;

“It is clear that Cairo rejected Haniyeh foreign tour as a sign of protest against the specific countries he was set to visit.”

Ismail was set to visit Qatar, Turkey, Iran, and Russia. The latter are countries which support Gaza Strip’s agenda to be independent. In Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh is the current leader of Hamas. While the Egyptian government rejected Haniyeh request, it seems they would allow Mousa Abu Marzouk another top leader in Hamas to make a maiden trip to Moscow Russia next week. Mousa Abu Marzouk will be in charge of a delegation from Gaza tasked to discuss Palestinian reconciliation among other issues in Moscow. However, before the above development, an unnamed source indicated that Mousa Abu Marzouk visit had been postponed severally to pave the way for Egypt to allow Haniyeh to travel.

Mousa Abu Marzouk isn’t New to such meetings 

Although many Palestinians would have loved to see Haniyeh travel out in search of support for Gaza Strip, Mousa Abu Marzouk who is also a senior leader in Hamas, is more than capable. He is the one who was at the leading front of the recently reached truce which has put a halt to the launching of balloon incendiary devices from Gaza. The incendiary devices were a form of Gaza Strip retaliation to restrictions imposed by Israel. He arrived in Cairo on Tuesday to oversee the implementation of the truce.

Apart from putting an end to the launch of the above devices, his efforts seem to be bearings fruits since now there is calm in Gaza. Furthermore, Israel has responded well to the agreement reached and allowed the importation of fuel to Gaza as part of the deal. Now residents in Gaza can enjoy 12 hours of electricity supply daily. An additional six hours to their previous power supply. Moreover, Gaza also got an increase in their fishing region. Now they have 15 nautical miles at their disposal for their fishing activities. 

Similarly, fishing boats which were seized by the navy were returned to Gaza Strip fishers. With such a record, Mousa Abu Marzouk will surely come back home with allies ready to back Gaza.

The Above Depicts Strict Travel Restrictions on Gaza Strip Residents 

With Egypt already having rejected Haniyeh request, the latter is just a snippet into what Gaza Strip residents go through if they want to travel outside. For anyone wishing to travel to Gaza, they must have a travel permit from either the Israeli or Egyptian government. The latter is granted only after submitting your reasons to either of the countries before making the maiden trip. On the other hand, for Palestine’s, they also have to get permits when traveling out. While the above depicts traveling situations in and out of the Gaza Strip, this also affects the movement of goods from Israel to Gaza. The latter has forced Gaza residents to dig tunnels below the walls for smuggling goods from Israel to Gaza.

Will Gaza Strip Ever Get Peace?

Although for now there is calm in Gaza Strip, the situation in Gaza coupled with Israel’s occupation/blockade is a dire one. At one hand, Gaza needs other states to come to its aid and help reach an agreement with Israel. Just like in the above case where the UN, together with Egypt, helped break a deal between Gaza and Israel. The latter will help prevent the fourth war from erupting. However, it’s unknown where Israel and Gaza are headed.

Moreover, it is unlikely that the situation will ever return to where it was during the tenure of now deceased President Dr. Mohammed Morsi. President Morsi was an advert advocator of Gaza Strip having peace, and he succeeded. For one full year, Gaza enjoyed peace, and calm. People returned to rebuild their places, families got reunited, and borders were opened. His move brought back hope and a breath of life in the Gaza Strip, giving residents a glimpse of what they were missing. However, his ousting later on brought everything to a halt, putting an end to peace and ushering death, suffering and unbearable living conditions. However, through the Hamas led by Ismail Haniyeh, Gaza Strip might get some order. For now, it’s a matter of waiting to see Hamas efforts.