This article was originally published by Maan News and is republished with permission.

Over 14,000 Palestinians have emigrated from the Gaza Strip since the Israeli military's so-called "disengagement" in 2005, a report by the European observers at the Rafah crossing between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt has revealed, according to the Israeli daily Maariv.

Some specialists said that this phenomenon was due to the internal situation in the Strip.

The Israeli paper Maariv, which published the news on Monday, said that the reasons for the Palestinians' emigration was poverty, Israeli military pressure, and the internal fighting between Hamas and Fatah, according to specialists.

The paper added that the frustration amongst Palestinians has reached such a level that many wish to leave, especially since the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in June 2006 and its consequences.

The report said that since the Palestinian Authority took charge of the crossing almost two years ago, 226,396 Palestinians left the Gaza Strip of whom 212,660 later returned.