Palestinians flood into Egypt after border blasted
Swamped: Thousands of Palestinians swarm the Egyptian side of the town of Rafah after Hamas militants destroyed a metal border wall between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt, yesterday. The forced entry came as Israel imposed a month-long blockade of the impoverished territory that was tightened last week to a full-scale lockdown. Picture: AFP
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Egypt on full alert as up to 60,000 said to have crossed border in move allowed by President Mubarak
TENS of thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt yesterday to stock up on goods because of an Israeli blockade, after militants blew up parts of the border with the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he had authorised the crossing of the Palestinians as long as they were unarmed.
"I told (security forces) to allow them to buy their basic needs and go back to Gaza as long as they are not carrying arms or anything illegal," he told reporters in Cairo.
Egyptian officials told AFP they estimate the number of people who entered Egypt at up to 60,000.
Egyptian General Ahmed Abdel Hamid ordered a full alert in the area, the official Mena agency reported.
Parts of the barrier separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip were knocked down by at least 15 explosions and flattened by a bulldozer, allowing people to leave the impoverished territory that has been under Israeli blockade for months.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington wants both Israeli security concerns and Palestinian humanitarian needs to be met.
"We are very concerned ... that both the security concerns of Israel and the humanitarian concerns of the Gazans be met," she said at a news conference in Zurich en route to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Rivals Fatah and Hamas blamed Israel, calling the breakout an inevitable consequence of the blockade.
"Israel is responsible for what has happened β this is the consequence of the blockade imposed on Gaza," Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.
"The situation went out of control because of the strangulation caused by the blockade that has been imposed during nearly eight months on 1.5 million Palestinians," Hamas said in a statement.
"The population is confronted with a humanitarian crisis and wants to breathe."
Sacked Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya called for an emergency meeting with Abbas and Egyptian officials on opening the border crossings.
"We are ready to sit down with our Egyptian brothers and the brothers from Ramallah during an emergency meeting in Cairo to establish arrangements to open the Rafah border crossing, as well as all other border crossings," he said in a televised address.
Hamas and Abbas's Fatah party have not had official contacts since last June, when Hamas ousted Fatah fighters from Gaza after a week of deadly clashes.
In Cairo on Wednesday the International Committee of the Red Cross called the situation "chaotic" and said it was prepared for mass displacement, while the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said its aid distribution had been hampered by the blockade.
AFP
TENS of thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt yesterday to stock up on goods because of an Israeli blockade, after militants blew up parts of the border with the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he had authorised the crossing of the Palestinians as long as they were unarmed.
"I told (security forces) to allow them to buy their basic needs and go back to Gaza as long as they are not carrying arms or anything illegal," he told reporters in Cairo.
Egyptian officials told AFP they estimate the number of people who entered Egypt at up to 60,000.
Egyptian General Ahmed Abdel Hamid ordered a full alert in the area, the official Mena agency reported.
Parts of the barrier separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip were knocked down by at least 15 explosions and flattened by a bulldozer, allowing people to leave the impoverished territory that has been under Israeli blockade for months.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington wants both Israeli security concerns and Palestinian humanitarian needs to be met.
"We are very concerned ... that both the security concerns of Israel and the humanitarian concerns of the Gazans be met," she said at a news conference in Zurich en route to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Rivals Fatah and Hamas blamed Israel, calling the breakout an inevitable consequence of the blockade.
"Israel is responsible for what has happened β this is the consequence of the blockade imposed on Gaza," Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.
"The situation went out of control because of the strangulation caused by the blockade that has been imposed during nearly eight months on 1.5 million Palestinians," Hamas said in a statement.
"The population is confronted with a humanitarian crisis and wants to breathe."
Sacked Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya called for an emergency meeting with Abbas and Egyptian officials on opening the border crossings.
"We are ready to sit down with our Egyptian brothers and the brothers from Ramallah during an emergency meeting in Cairo to establish arrangements to open the Rafah border crossing, as well as all other border crossings," he said in a televised address.
Hamas and Abbas's Fatah party have not had official contacts since last June, when Hamas ousted Fatah fighters from Gaza after a week of deadly clashes.
In Cairo on Wednesday the International Committee of the Red Cross called the situation "chaotic" and said it was prepared for mass displacement, while the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said its aid distribution had been hampered by the blockade.
AFP
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