RAFAH: Palestinians in Gaza demanded Sunday that Egypt release the rest of the Hamas militants they are holding in prison. About 200 Hamas supporters demonstrated peacefully Sunday at the Gaza-Egypt border. They threatened that if necessary, they would take further action to free the men.
The demonstrators didn t say what they meant by this, but it was assumed to be a reference to January s breakthrough at the border. With Hamas police watching then, hundreds of thousands of Gaza Palestinians streamed into Egypt, defeating a blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel and the West. The border was open for almost two weeks.
Since then, Egypt has reinforced the border. Egypt has already released 34 Hamas activists, but Hamas says a few more are still in custody.
Later on Sunday, a scuffle broke out between Egyptian police and hundreds of Palestinians and Egyptians stranded on the Gaza side. The crowd gathered after reports circulated that they would be allowed to return to Egypt. Many Palestinians living in Egypt and abroad converged on the border from the other side, demanding to cross.
Dozens of Egyptian police with armored cars blocked the border, pushing the crowd back. There were no reports of casualties. -AP
