More than half of Gaza's residents would consider leaving the Gaza Strip if given the chance, according to a poll published on Friday morning by the British Telegraph and conducted by the Gallup Institute. Electricity and fuel shortages, access to water and physical security were among the reasons cited. The poll found that 39 percent said they would stay in Gaza and had no plans to leave. Another 38 percent said they would leave temporarily, but return in the future. An additional 14 percent said they would leave permanently, a significant number considering the fear of admitting plans to leave. The poll questioned 532 Gazans aged 18 and over. At the same time, the Egyptian Information Authority announced today that Cairo "totally denies all claims spread by several media channels that it is willing to temporarily accommodate one million residents from Gaza, to a designated city in northern Sinai, as part of the reconstruction plan of the Gaza Strip." The Authority also said that "these are false claims that totally contrast Egypt's firm and principled position to reject any attempt to exile Palestinians, whether by force or voluntarily," abrogating the human rights of Gazans by calling voluntary emigration an "attempt to exile."
