CAIRO: Egypt sent 7,000 additional troops to man the border with Gaza Monday to prevent further breaches caused by Israeli air strikes aiming for the tunnels that run beneath it.
Seven thousand soldiers were brought in from neighboring governorates according to witnesses at the border who said the increased security presence had restored some semblance of calm to the area.
This was after a breach occurred Sunday night due to the air strikes that hit the border fence. Palestinians on the run from the strike broke through and clashes ensued with Egyptian border guards.
An Egyptian police officer died in the clashes after having been shot in the chest twice. One Palestinian was also killed by Egyptian security forces and four were wounded. Additionally, an eight-year-old Egyptian boy was wounded by a stray bullet.
Clashes continued through the night as security forces attempted to reseal the breaches.
Journalist and North Sinai Tagammu party member Mustapha Singer told Daily News Egypt that the area surrounding the Rafah border crossing was being bombed and orders were given via megaphones to evacuate the houses near the border.
Singer added that 150 Palestinians managed to enter Egypt but 100 of them were caught and returned to Gaza, while the search continued for the remaining 50.
Israel began an aerial offensive on Gaza Saturday and strikes were aimed at the border in an effort to destroy tunnels that are used to smuggle goods and weapons into Gaza. Two Palestinians were killed and 22 wounded as a result of the air strikes aimed at the tunnels.
By Monday afternoon, trucks filled with medical supplies intended for Gaza from various bodies were still stuck at the Rafah border crossing with other relief convoys from Libya and Saudi Arabia on the way to the border.
Not all organizations however had their aid convoys tied up at the Rafah border crossing. UK-based Islamic Relief (with offices in Ramallah and Gaza) sends its aid through the EU and the UN so it goes through main channels via Tel Aviv.
Yousry El-Tahawy from the organization’s headquarters in London told Daily News Egypt, “We have a stock of aid in our warehouses in Gaza which is used in times of crisis such as this. We are prepared and so we don’t have to wait for aid to come through. Of course it is not enough and will not last but it gives us time.
There were also dozens of empty ambulances on the Egyptian side waiting to take any wounded to Al-Arish hospital. However, the air strikes made it difficult to transport the wounded to the border.
Karen Abuzayd, the commissioner-general of the United Nation’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees released a statement calling on Israel to “guarantee humanitarian agencies unrestricted and secure access into Gaza and respect its obligations under international humanitarian law by ensuring the safety of the Palestinian civilian population.
