Fugitive Palestinians flee to Egypt

El Arish, Egypt: Ninety-seven Palestinians, most of them Fatah fighters, sailed into the Egypt's El Arish port on Friday to flee Hamas rivals, Egyptian police said.

The group includes members of the Preventive Security force, the civilian police, boarder guard, the Fatah-run intelligence service and the Fatah-linked Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade.

Aboard a fishing boat, the group arrived in El Arish at around dawn. Egyptian police handed the men to the armed forces, who escorted them to a military base.

Overnight about 20 Palestinian civilians also managed to enter Egypt through the Rafah crossing, which has been officially closed all this week because of fighting in Gaza.

The closure of the Rafah crossing has left some 3,000 Palestinian travellers stranded in the El Arish area, most of them anxious to go home and make contact with their families.

"I can see how bad things are there but staying here will be worse, without money, family or even friends," said Palestinian traveller Mahmoud Ali Ahmed.