GAZA, Aug. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Israel banned on Thursday a Palestinian woman who died in Cairo a few days ago from being sent back to Gaza across the Rafah terminal, her husband Saleh Lubad said.

    Lubad told reporters that his wife died in Cairo on Friday, and all attempts to bring her body back to Gaza for burial had failed as Israel keeps the terminal closed for consecutive three weeks.

    Three weeks ago, Israel closed down the only terminal on the borders between Gaza and Egypt. Thousands of Palestinians use the terminal controlled by Israel to travel abroad or return back to Gaza.

    Lubad said he held contacts with human rights organizations in Israel and the Palestinian territories, in hopes of making the Israeli security forces let the body of his wife be brought back to Gaza.

    He spent the last few days trying to bring the body back to Gaza, but failed.

    "I had to bury my wife in a cemetery at the Egyptian side after I failed to convince the Israelis to let me bring her body back to Gaza to be buried in the family cemetery," said Lubad.

    More than 4,000 Palestinians had been stranded at the Egyptian side of Rafah terminal for three weeks, waiting for Israel to reopen the terminal and let them cross into the Gaza Strip.

    The United States, France and Egypt have called upon Israel to reopen the terminal and allow the stranded Palestinians to cross into the Gaza Strip.

    Israel said that it closed the terminal because it received warning that Palestinian militants are planning to attack Israeli employees working in the terminal.

    Meanwhile, an underground tunnel has been discover under the borderline, said Israel, accusing Palestinian militants of using it to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Gaza to carry out attacks against Israel.  Enditem