Egyptian and Hamas forces clashed Sunday evening near the Rafiah border on the southern end of Gaza as thousands of Gazans crossed over to the Egyptian side of the divided city. Egypt and Hamas continue to be at odds with regard to what and who should pass through the Rafiah crossing.
Gazans began to cross into Egypt after the IDF bombed 40 smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza and left the border area in ruins. Egyptian sources reported five breaches along the nine mile border, which 300 Egyptian border policemen raced to seal. As Gazans began to enter Egypt, Egyptian forces exchanged fire with Hamas gunmen. One Egyptian border policeman and one Hamas terrorist were killed in the firefight.
Egyptian security forces continued to shoot in the air, but they did not succeed in stopping the flow of people. The masses stopped advancing towards the Egyptian side of Rafiah when trucks arrived with humanitarian aid arrive and Gazans began unloading the foodstuffs from the trucks.
Eyewitnesses to the crossing reported that the Gazans cursed the Egyptian border police and called them collaborators with Israel. They also cursed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Egyptian forces had been beefed up only 24 hours earlier because of Egypt’s concerns that the Gazans would try to breach the border. An Egyptian military source said, “We are worried that Israeli pressure on the residents of Gaza will cause them to break through the border.”
Last January 350,000 Gazans crossed the border to buy supplies in the Egyptian side Rafiah after basics ran low in Gaza. Egypt allowed the Gazans to remain for a short period of time before forcing them back into Gaza and reclosing the border.
Egypt claims it has tried to help Gazans and offered to allow wounded to be treated in Egyptian hospitals. It also plans on sending 50 physicians into Gaza to treat wounded on site. Hamas has denied that Egypt is providing help and accused Egypt of collaborating with Israel in laying siege on Gaza by not opening the Rafiah crossing.
Since the IDF began Operation Cast Lead, thousands of residents of Arab countries have demonstrated outside Egyptian embassies. Demonstrators blamed Egypt for contributing to the siege on Gaza. Hizbullah leader Hasan Nasrallah also joined in denouncing Egypt. “If Mubarak and the Egyptian army officers do not open the border crossings, they are full partners to the Israeli operation in Gaza and are responsible for what is happening there,” he said.