Rafah (Gaza Strip): The 'intifada' has turned Rafah terminal into the only gateway to the outside world for Palestinians living in the overcrowded Gaza Strip, leaving them no alternative when they need to travel.

Since the international airport near Rafah was destroyed by the Israeli Army and the Northern Erez terminal into Israel closed down, the Southern Gaza crossing point into Egypt has become an unavoidable ordeal for Gazans wishing to travel abroad.

Before the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation erupted in September 2000, about 3,000 people a day used to cross the Rafah terminal, while only between 100 and 200 now manage to bottleneck through.

According to a Palestinian security official, the Israeli authorities only open the crossing five hours a day, while long and thorough searches result in massive queues which can hold up travellers for up to a day.

Gazans have to go through four Israeli Army checkpoints before reaching the passport check, not including the checkpoints, which have chopped up the Gaza Strip into three separate parts.

Hajj Nagib, an ailing and elderly Palestinian, waited 24 hours to cross into Egypt, where he is to receive medical treatment says that these checks are a real crime against humanity. Travellers arrive on the Palestinian side at dawn to even stand a chance of reaching Egypt the same day, but this tactic carries its own risks.

Frequent overnight exchanges of fire between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli forces over the flashpoint border zone often spill over into the early hours of the morning, as is the case with many families, returning to Gaza is also not so easy.

Hundreds of people wait for hours in long lines since Israel allows only four buses per day. The bus dubbed by some as the "bus of death" carrying more than 70 passengers has made lives of many miserable.