Pages

Monday, February 04, 2008

Hamas/Egyptian clashes, one PalArab dead

YNet has a news flash:
Gunfire erupted at the Gaza-Egypt border on Monday, following stone-throwing clashes between Egyptian border guards and Palestinians, witnesses said.

Five people were wounded by gunfire, said a Gaza health official, Dr. Moawiya Hassanain. The tensions began when the Egyptian guards sealed the border hermetically Monday,not even allowing Egyptians and Gazans who had found themselves on the wrong side of the border to return home. (AP)

PalPress Arabic says that one 42-year old Gazan was killed and that there was a number of injuries on both sides.

I wonder if any "human rights" organizations will start keeping track of Egyptian/Palestinian Arab casualties? Egypt has good practice shooting at civilians; they routinely kill Africans trying to reach Israel.

UPDATE: JPost adds:
Egyptian forces fired live bullets at the crowd, wounding several, witnesses said. Bullets landed close to an AP staffer on the Gaza side of the border. Later, Palestinian gunmen fired back.

Hamas policemen in the area encouraged people in the area to throw rocks at the Egyptians. Youths began pelting an Egyptian command post in the area, and forces there first threw stones back, and then fired tear gas. Medics said 26 people were treated for tear gas inhalation.

Egyptian security officials in nearby El-Arish said Egyptian officers fired in the air, and there were several wounded. In Cairo, an official said there was a heavy exchange of fire. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details to the media.