News Brief13:22 PM

(IsraelNN.com) Egyptian forces have received permission to fire back at Palestinian Authority terrorists who continue their attempts to keep open the Gaza border with Egypt.

At least 38 Egyptian security officers were wounded over the weekend - several seriously - by Gaza terrorists hurling rocks and shooting at them as the Egyptians tried to reseal the border fence.  Hamas terrorists blew it up, completely destroying 200 meters of border barrier and enabling tens of thousands of Gazans, including many terrorists, to cross freely into Egypt and back into Gaza.

Egyptian officers were equipped Sunday with electrified cattle prods and plugged holes in the remaining portions of the border fence with sand in order to block vehicles from entering and leaving the country.  However, pedestrians are still able to cross freely. A statement by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit announced that Egypt planned to take steps to control the border as soon as possible but did not provide details.