Nader al-Masri, a 28-year-old Palestinian athlete living in northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, are passing the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing to the West Bank city of Ramallah, carrying his luggage along with his Olympic dream.

"I hardly managed to leave Gaza, which is still under an Israeli blockade for about ten months. I'm planning to go and stay in Ramallah and continue my training there until I leave to Beijing before August," he said.

Israel had been imposing a strict blockade on the Gaza Strip after Islamic Hamas movement took control of the enclave in last June by defeating President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces.

Gaza is closed off from the world, only those who have special reasons, such as the dying patients and businessmen, are able to obtain Israeli permits to leave for the outside world. Al-Masri was lucky to get the permit on Wednesday.

Al-Masri, who has been an athlete since 1998, are living in a shanty in the town of Beit Hanoun. He married and have a warm family with three daughters, and the youngest one named Raghed was born just two days ago.

"I'm so happy that I will participate in the Olympics in China, but I' m sad that I'm leaving my wife and three daughters under blockade for several months", al-Masri said with a smile when he crossed through the border crossing between northern Gaza Strip and Israel.

He said he did not know his participation in Beijing Olympics until three months ago when he read the news in a local daily in Gaza. Then he called the local Olympic committee and was told he was chosen to the 2008 Olympics in China. Nabil Mabrouk, head of the local Olympic committee, asked him to immediately start training.

Four Palestinians are expected to appear in Beijing Olympics, including two swimmers and two track and field athletes including Al-Masri.

The other three are living in the West Bank, which is not sealed from the outside world.

Since then, al-Masri has been training three hours a day except Friday, running around Gaza City's al-Yarmook sandy stadium, 16 km south of his home in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun.

"Unfortunately, I was not able to do proper training because of the ongoing blockade on the Gaza Strip and also due to the ongoing daily Israeli military offensives on Beit Hanoun and the entire Gaza Strip," said al-Masri.

In addition, al-Masri's training conditions in Gaza were less than ideal, he jogs halfway down the Gaza Strip in cheap shoes, dodging donkey carts and potholes.

It is the second time for al-Masri to join the important international or regional games. In 2006, he went to Duha Asian Olympics in Qatar and successfully got the eighth in the 5000- meter run. He was proud of being the best long-distance runner in the Palestinian areas.

The Palestinians gained Olympics participation recognition in 1993, after Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed an interim peace accord with Israel. A Palestinian team competed in the Olympics for the first time in Atlanta in 1996.

Two Palestinians joined the 2004 Athens Olympics, including 19- year-old runner Sana Abu Bkheet, a young Gaza woman who overcame poverty and disapproval from her community to run in Greece.

"In spite of all the difficulties we are passing through, I'll spare no effort to the Game, I hope I would see myself waving the flag of the state of Palestine in Beijing Olympics", said the ambitious youngman, adding he is very excited and happy, looking forward to bring medals.

(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2008)