He told a solidarity meeting organized by the committee in Beirut on Friday that it was understandable that Israel decided to impose a tight siege on the Gaza Strip but it was incomprehensible that Egypt would share in that siege.

"We appeal to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to open the Rafah border crossing," he said.

Hoss expressed understanding of the fact that Cairo was under huge American-Israeli pressure to retain the terminal closed but it was not normal that Cairo would surrender to such pressures.

The former premier criticized the western officials for boasting about human rights but leaving the Gaza people deprived of their simplest human rights of medication, education, nutrition and movement.