News Brief – January 23, 2008
Denied basic necessities by an Israeli blockade, Palestinian blew a hole in the wall between Gaza and Egypt today enabling tens of thousands of Palestinians to pour into Egypt and stock up on much needed food and fuel supplies.
Residents of the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah said a group of militants set off a series of explosions overnight, demolishing about 200 metres (yards) of the border wall.
Thereafter thousands of Palestinians thronged into Egypti, some on donkey carts and carrying luggage to bring food and fuel back into the Hamas-run territory.
“I have bought everything I need for the house for months. I have bought food, cigarettes and even two gallons of diesel for my car,” said Mohammed Saeed, who was pushing a trolley.
Egyptian riot police sent to reinforce the border stood aside and let the Palestinians through, witnesses said.
“Palestinian gunmen created at least 15 openings in the wall between Egypt and Gaza, and a Palestinian bulldozer was demolishing large parts of it and is still working to destroy the rest of the wall,” one Egyptian security source said.
Israel sealed its borders with the Gaza Strip last week, cutting fuel supplies to the territory’s main power plant and petrol stations and stopping shipments of food, humanitarian and medial supplies from reaching the Hamas-controlled territory.
Israel said the blockade was intended to prevent Palestinian militants firing rockets into southern Israel. The Israeli army says about 250 rockets and mortars have pounded Israel since last week, however doubts have been expressed in some quarters as to whom is actually responsible for the rocket attacks.
There have been claims from some Palestinian sources that the rocket attacks are part of an Israeli false flag operation.
The European Union and international agencies have called the closure collective punishment on Gaza’s 1.5 million people.
Last updated 24/01/2008
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