Egypt shut down the border with Gaza days after re-opening it and then allowed only pedestrian traffic on Saturday in what may have been a public relations stunt to pacify Hamas temporarily.
Hamas blames the United States and Israel for the about-face, but Fatah leader and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas may be behind the move.
The decision to shut the gates at the Rafiah crossing came after thousands of Gaza Arabs stormed the iron gate separating the city that straddles the border. Egyptian security forces carrying clubs lined up at the gate to prevent a massive breach such as the one three years ago that flooded the Sinai Peninsula with Hamas terrorists mingled with Gaza Arabs who were trying to buy goods and meet with their families.
Hamas officials complained that Egypt had detained many Gazans for security reasons as the provisional government tries to prevent the terrorist organization, a spinoff of the Muslim Brotherhood, from increasing its strength. Hamas reportedly sent blacklisted terrorists to the border, where Egyptian officials stopped them from crossing.
The de facto government in Gaza charged that Israel and the United States had pressured Cairo to shut down the crossing, but analysts have noted that Abbas, who recently visited Cairo, is afraid that Hamas would enjoy more popularity if Egypt allows its residents free entry. Hamas and Fatah, two rival factions in the Palestinian Authority, recently have signed a unity pact but each highly distrusts the other.