Gaza-Egypt border sealed
Back to days of hardship: Palestinians at the border town of Rafah watch Egyptian forces on the other side through the newly-erected barbed wire fence yesterday.Picture: AFP
Monday, February 4, 2008
EGYPTIAN and Hamas forces closed the Gaza border yesterday after reportedly agreeing to control the frontier blown open by militants 11 days ago in a bid to break a crippling Israeli blockade.
Metal barriers and rolls of barbed wire were erected across all gaps in the border at the divided town of Rafah, again sealing off Gaza after nearly half the impoverished territory's 1.5 million population flooded into Egypt.
"No more Palestinians are being allowed in," an Egyptian security source said.
One gate remained open to allow Palestinians and Egyptians to return home, but otherwise no pedestrians or vehicles were being allowed to cross.
Dozens of armed and helmeted Hamas men wielded batons at crowds gathered at the border, hoping that the resealed breaches will open just one more time.
"Everyone needs to leave immediately! If you're not Egyptian, you've got to leave now!" the Hamas men yelled in a bid to relieve the crowds near the barrier.
On the Egyptian side of Rafah, security forces briefly a reporter and photographer, erasing the photographer's memory cards and saying journalists were no longer allowed to take pictures of the border.
The Egyptian side was almost entirely deserted, with cars banned around the frontier and in Rafah's town centre unless they were headed home. People continued to go home from both sides of the border , with a queue of horse- and donkey-drawn carts laden with household goods waiting to cross into Gaza.
AFP
Metal barriers and rolls of barbed wire were erected across all gaps in the border at the divided town of Rafah, again sealing off Gaza after nearly half the impoverished territory's 1.5 million population flooded into Egypt.
"No more Palestinians are being allowed in," an Egyptian security source said.
One gate remained open to allow Palestinians and Egyptians to return home, but otherwise no pedestrians or vehicles were being allowed to cross.
Dozens of armed and helmeted Hamas men wielded batons at crowds gathered at the border, hoping that the resealed breaches will open just one more time.
"Everyone needs to leave immediately! If you're not Egyptian, you've got to leave now!" the Hamas men yelled in a bid to relieve the crowds near the barrier.
On the Egyptian side of Rafah, security forces briefly a reporter and photographer, erasing the photographer's memory cards and saying journalists were no longer allowed to take pictures of the border.
The Egyptian side was almost entirely deserted, with cars banned around the frontier and in Rafah's town centre unless they were headed home. People continued to go home from both sides of the border , with a queue of horse- and donkey-drawn carts laden with household goods waiting to cross into Gaza.
AFP
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