Egypt Seals Gaza Border Breach

Ends 11 day supply grab under Israel's blockade
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 3, 2008 9:48 AM CST
Egypt Seals Gaza Border Breach
An Egyptian man waits in his car to cross the border into Egypt as Egyptian soldiers guard next to metal spikes after sealing a breached part of the border wall between Egypt and Gaza, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008. Egyptian troops closed the last breach in Egypt's frontier with...   (Associated Press)

After 11 days, Egypt has sealed the gap in its border with the Gaza Strip, ending the stream of Palestinians in search of food and supplies, Reuters reports. Hundreds of Egyptian security officers used barbed wire and metal barriers to seal the last gaps in the wall. Hamas militants told Palestinians in the area to go home.

"We will try to exert our control completely at the border. There are hundreds of Palestinians still on Egyptian territory, and they will be returned in the coming hours," said a member of Egypt’s security forces. The resolution came after Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar’s negotiations with Egypt, in which he vowed to stem the flow of Palestinians seeking Egyptian provisions due to Israel’s Gaza blockade. (More Gaza Egypt border stories.)

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