Gaza border breach causes Palestinian exodus into Egypt

Middle East Features

Jan 23, 2008, 18:30 GMT

Rafah, Gaza Strip - Carrying a goat and jumping over a fence separating Egypt from the Gaza Strip, Sami Hamdan, 42, says this is the only way to out of the more than seven months of Israeli closure imposed on the Gaza Strip.

Two Palestinians stand at the top of metal barrier that makes up part of the separation wall between Gaza Strip and Egypt at the border in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 23 January 2008. Thousands of Palestinians surged into Egypt from the Gaza Strip after masked militants destroyed parts of the border wall. They rushed to buy food, fuel and other supplies that have become scarce because of an Israeli blockade. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER'We are witnessing a slow death and I believe we have no other choice,' he says, as he puts the goat in a mini-truck waiting by the border, and then crosses back into the Egyptian section of Rafah, the divided town on the Gaza-Egypt border, to bring more goats and sheep. Each sheep, he says, costs 120 dollars, but 'in Gaza we sell it for 200.' Hamdan is one of at least 350,000 Gazans who took advantage Wednesday of the breaching of the sealed Egyptian-Gaza border to cross into Egypt to buy provisions made scare by a suffocating Israeli siege of the salient. Israel first shut the Gaza border crossings in June 2006, after militants staged a cross-border raid and snatched an Israeli soldier, who is still being held somewhere in the enclave. The closure was tightened further in June last year, after Hamas seized control of the Strip, and it was intensified even further last week after an upsurge in rocket and mortar attacks - more than 130 in three days - from the Strip on Israel. As a result of the Israeli closure, basic necessities are hard to find in the Strip, except for six kinds of products Israel allows in. But before dawn Wednesday dozens of Palestinian militants, members of the Hamas armed wing, placed explosives by the Gaza-Egypt border fence and blew huge holes in it. According to witnesses, the militants also brought up bulldozers to sweep away the barbed wire and clear the rubble from the explosions. The result was an exodus into Egypt, of Gazans desperate to stock with food, cigarettes, clothing. Hundreds of packed vehicles - cars, trucks, buses, - drove to the now-porous border and a steady stream of people flooded the holes in the fence. Dozens squeezed through the gaps, shoving and pushing their way through the holes, and then walking another 80 metres until they came to a short wall, which they vaulted over to land in Egypt. 'The best way to break this siege is by force,' Hamdan says. 'Israel closed the crossings and now people have found an opportunity to get into Egypt and buy what they need.' Grocery shops and pharmacies on the Egyptian side of the border were running out of provisions and Queues quickly built up outside petrol stations. Over the past seven months, the only foodstuffs Israel has allowed into Gaza is rice, rice, sugar, cooking oil, flour, fruits, diary products and frozen meat. Any other kind of product used for industry or construction was not allowed. Hasna Abu Khadra, 52, walks with her three daughters into Egypt She says she wants to go to Egypt to visit her ill sister, and, in addition, 'I want to buy some stuff when I come back to Gaza. During the past seven months, she points out, 'we lack many kinds of products, such as food, fuel and cigarettes.' The United Nations said that by mid-afternoon around 350,000 people had crossed the border. Palestinians put the figure at about 400,000. Many were carrying boxes of washing powders, or boxes of dry dates. Jamil Safi, who lives 35 kilometres to the north in Gaza City, of says he went to to Egypt to buy things he intends selling at a profit later. 'I own a store in Khan Younis, but most of the goods in my store have run out,' he says, as he and his two sons carry cartons of washing powder. Wednesday was not the first time thousands of Palestinians breached the borders and flooded Egypt. Tens of thousands crossed over in September 2005, when the Israeli army withdrew from the Gaza Strip. 'We go to Egypt to buy things cheaply, and we sell them at higher prices in Gaza,' explains Abdullah Suleiman, pulling a sheep and lamb. 'We make money in order to to be able to live under such harsh conditions.' Israel, reacting to Wednesday's events, urged Egypt to 'solve the problem.' Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he instructed border guards to let the Gazans in 'to eat and buy food provisions then return home as long as they do not carry arms.' Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, who was sacked as prime minister after the Gaza takeover by Hamas last year, suggested a three-way meeting with himself, Mubarak and Abbas to 'look for a proper way to end the crisis and break the Israeli siege.' But the Fatah movement, and its leader, leader, Abbas, who has been at loggerheads with Hamas since the Gaza fighting in June last year, accused Hamas of creating the crisis by blowing up the 6-metre high fence. © 2008 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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AzimJan 23rd, 2008 - 19:16:57

Hamas started it - they get what they deserve.

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Porky the MullahJan 23rd, 2008 - 22:11:57

Who gives a rats arse about these subhumans anyway? Live, die, free or captive what difference does it make, they couldnt run a state if we gave them a billion $.

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tonny from belgiumJan 23rd, 2008 - 23:48:51

Israel started this,they took the land of the palestinians and never gave it back,colonizing it and renaming the villages,ousting the locals .Since then there has been a bitter fight.First stones against tanks ,now primitive missiles against drones,satellites,laser guided missiles .There will never be peace by bombing the palestinians into submission.For decades they hold out .

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NoharnessJan 23rd, 2008 - 23:52:02

On Tuesday there was a meeting in Syria of 'Palestinian Factions' with an Iranian 'presence.' Fatah says that they boycotted this meeting. Right, sure, we all believe that one, right? Then President of Amahdinejad called Mubarak in Egypt, even though Iran and Egypt have had no diplomatic ties since 1979. Now, today, the fence between Egypt and Gaza gets dozed and people pour across the border into Egypt.

I thought I would point this out because the news media can't seem to pull this kind of thing together and show it to people.

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you are an idiot tonnyJan 24th, 2008 - 03:04:01

'There will never be peace by bombing the palestinians into submission'

USE BIGGER BOMBS AND THERE WILL.

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GooseJan 24th, 2008 - 07:34:56

Hmm... Tony have you ever looked at the historical evidence? Temple mount with a big fat golden tit stuck on top of it. Haig Sofia, christian church, with a big fat golden tit stuck on top of it. Keep worshipping the the bedouin pedo if you wish but don't ask me to understand you.

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tonny from belgiumJan 24th, 2008 - 12:56:23

Insults seems to be a wonderful toy when it some events need to be biased.The Hagaya Sofia has nothing to do with the struggle between the palestinians and Israel.Neither does the Mosque on the temple mount.The temple was destroyed by the romans first century AD .The palestinians have been living in that part of the world since at least 7 centuries .Israel was created by jews coming from europe to escape persecutions and pogroms .Problem is that one can not fight a wrongdoing bt creating another one .Acknowledging that is just common sense in modern history .Invoking the Romans is ridiculous .Name calling to hide one's incompetence in building a coherent set of arguments is even more ridiculous .Who's the idiot in that case.I guess the influence of AIPAC in the USA is responsible for decennia of brainwashing .Problem is that it's influence doesn't reach outside of the USA.Hence a more complete picture of the situation.

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porkyJan 24th, 2008 - 13:12:16

Israel would resemble Gaza if it were not for the Jews. The decendants of Palastinian refugees that live in Gaza and other regions would soon turn Israel into a squalid backward country.
They remind me of a dog that runs after a bus, it seems like a good idea at the time but they would not know what to do with it if they caught it.

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michael ukJan 24th, 2008 - 13:40:52

To porky so how many times has isreal destroyed the infastructure in gaza over the last 20 years. I doubt that we would be living a very nice lifestyle if our neighbours kept on destroying everything we try to build.

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saheedJan 24th, 2008 - 14:29:02

SHOPPING FOR VIAGRA

Hundreds of Palestinians shuttled back and forth from Rafah on Thursday as the town was transformed into a giant outdoor market. Egyptian and Palestinian merchants peddled food, fuel, cement, cigarettes and even Viagra.

I BET THE GAZA GOATS AND SHEEP ARE NERVOUS AS HELL...BUT THEN AGAIN ITS MUSLIMS CUSTOM TO BEND EACH OTHER OVER AND WORSHIP ALLAH.

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