Egypt closes border with Gaza

updated 8:40 a.m. ET Feb. 3, 2008

RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Egyptian troops closed the last breach in Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip Sunday, ending 11 days of free movement for Palestinian residents of the blockaded territory, witnesses and Hamas security officials said.

Hamas police aided with the closure, drawing pistols and arresting Palestinians who were throwing stones at Egyptian troops along the frontier. It was a dramatic turnabout for Hamas, whose militants had used explosives to bring down the border wall.

The Egyptian troops were allowing Gazans and Egyptians to cross the border to return to their homes on the other side but prevented any new cross-border movement, according to witnesses and Hamas security officials in the border town of Rafah. The Hamas officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Israel issued no immediate comment on the closure.

Egyptian soldiers patrolled in armored personnel carriers and stood in sandbagged emplacements on nearby rooftops, and dozens of Gazans looked on as the Egyptians resealed the border.

About 100 Egyptian police formed a human cordon at the border wall's main gate. Dozens of cars and people lined up on either side of the border, some having stocked up on supplies before crossing.

Three Palestinians tried to jump over the border wall to enter Egypt to retrieve some merchandise they had stored there. Hamas security, which were patrolling the area in cars and on foot, beat them with batons and the backs of their weapons, then fired in the air to disperse the crowd that had gathered to watch.

Rush for goods, visits with relatives
Hamas militants blew up section of the Gaza-Egypt border wall on Jan. 23 in an attempt to end a seven-month blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel with Egypt's cooperation. The move allowed hundreds of thousands of Gazans to pour into Egypt to stock up on supplies and visit with friends and relatives they hadn't seen for years.

Aisha Abu Jazar, a 65-year-old Egyptian woman who was waiting to leave Gaza on Sunday, had last seen her son and daughter who live there five years ago, and had never met their children.

"I am so happy because I saw my children and I enjoyed the warmth of the family gathering with them after so many years. "I'm a sick woman and this was one of my dearest wishes,' said Abu Jazar, who is suffering from leukemia.

A senior Hamas leader said Saturday after meeting with Egyptian officials that Egypt would close the border in coordination with the militant group, which seized control of the territory in June.

But Mahmoud Zahar said the closure would be temporary while the Egyptians search for a way to reopen the border. Egyptian officials were not available for comment on the Hamas claims. It was not clear whether Egypt was considering the group's demand for a say in running the Egypt-Gaza border.

Any role for the Islamic militants on the border would be sure to anger the international community and Hamas' archrival, the moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, because it would amount to tacit recognition of Hamas rule in Gaza.

Hamas' violent seizure control of the tiny seaside territory, home to 1.5 million Palestinians, left Abbas controlling only the West Bank.

Hamas thwarted repeated attempts by Egypt to reseal the frontier as Palestinians flooded over the border.

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