35 Hurt in Gaza-Egypt Border Riot, Border Fence Down

[Los Angeles Times] Rushdi Abu Alouf and Richard Boudreaux - Masked gunmen used explosives to blow holes in Gaza's border fence early Wednesday, enabling thousands of Palestinians to pour into Egypt to buy food, fuel and other supplies. Egyptian and Palestinian border guards did not resist the mass crossing at the Rafah terminal. Hundreds of Gaza women had crashed a gate at the same border Tuesday to protest Egypt's cooperation with Israeli sanctions. They were turned back during a riot that injured 35 people. During a protest organized by Hamas, the women chanted accusations calling Egyptian President Mubarak a coward for sticking to an agreement with the U.S. and Israel to keep the border closed and Gaza's Hamas-led government isolated. The crowd broke through a metal gate and hurled rocks at Egyptian police, who drove them back with clubs, tear gas and water cannon. Hamas border guards fired warning shots, prompting Egyptian police to start shooting too.


2008-01-23 01:00:00

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