An Egyptian soldier was killed Wednesday and at least two Gaza Arabs were injured in riots and exchanges of gunfire on the Gaza-Egypt border.
A crowd of rioters showed up at the border to attack the Egyptian soldiers who are guarding the construction of an underground steel anti-tunnel barrier. The barrier is meant to foil the smuggling of weapons and goods in and out of Gaza through the tunnels.
Eyewitnesses said that the soldiers opened fire after being attacked with rocks. The Gazans also fired on the Egyptians, and one soldier was killed. It is possible that the mob violence was meant to provoke the soldiers into firing, thus providing an excuse for gunmen on the Hamas side to open fire on the soldiers.
Violent riots and attacks on soldiers disguised as “demonstrations” are a very common tactic of PA Arabs, who have been using it against Israel ever it began construction of a security wall around parts of Judea and Samaria, to prevent terror attacks by suicide bombers.
A violent convoy
According to Al Jazeera, Gaza's Hamas leaders had called for the “rally” to “protest” the delay of the Viva Palestina “international aid” convoy at Egypt's port city of al-Arish. The convoy itself has become a source of violence: late Tuesday, its members clashed with Egyptian soldiers and at least 55 people were injured. 520 activists broke down a gate at the port in al-Arish to protest against a decision by Egypt to require some of the vehicles in the convoy to pass through Israel on the way to Gaza.
The convoy set out from Britain about four weeks ago with 210 trucks full of medicine and other supplies. It is led by George Galloway, a British MP who, in the past, supported Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and Lebanese terror militia Hizbullah.