Hamas 'guardian' law keeps Gaza woman from studying abroad

Israel and Egypt have enforced tight travel restrictions as part of a blockade of Gaza for 14 years, since the takeover of the territory by the Islamic militant group Hamas

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Afaf al-Najar had found a way out of Gaza.

The 19-year-old won a scholarship to study communications in Turkey, secured all the necessary travel documents and even paid $500 to skip the long lines at the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

But when she arrived at the border on Sept. 21 she was turned back — not by Israel or Egypt, which have imposed a 14-year blockade on the Gaza Strip — but because of a male guardianship law enacted by the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules the territory.

“I honestly broke down,” she said, describing the moment border officials removed her luggage from the bus. "My eyes started pouring, I could not even stand up. They had to bring a chair for me... I felt my dream is being robbed.”