CAIRO: Three Egyptians were injured near the Salah Eldin gate at the border town of Rafah Sunday night as a result of Israeli aerial strikes targeting tunnels beneath the border.
Two policemen and a five-year-old girl living near the gate were injured. Additionally, two unexploded Israeli bombs landed on the Egyptian side of Rafah.
On Monday, 13 European doctors and nurses were allowed through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza. The nine Greeks, three French and one Irish female nurse followed on the heels of 61 Arab doctors who have entered Gaza over the past three days, 51 of them Egyptian.
The Egyptian doctors had to sign statements saying that they take full responsibility for anything that happens to them in Gaza.
Egyptian authorities also requested similar release forms from the embassies of the countries of all other foreign doctors.
Also on Monday Egyptian ambulances were allowed to enter Gaza to pick up wounded Palestinians directly from hospitals in the Strip. Previously, Palestinian ambulances would transport the wounded inside the Rafah crossing where they would be transferred into Egyptian ambulances.
A Greek delegation carrying aid is also expected to arrive at Rafah on Thursday and there were unconfirmed reports from sources at the border that Gamal Mubarak, son of the Egyptian President, would visit the crossing today.
Reports in the Israelis press claimed that Israel is contemplating reoccupying the Philadelphi corridor, the thin strip of land between the Egyptian and Gazan border housing tunnels that are used to smuggle essential supplies as well as weapons into Gaza.
Western diplomats are reported to have spoken about a “third phase of Israeli operations which would entail retaking the corridor as well as parts of the town of Rafah, which has been the site of incessant Israeli shelling over the past three days. The Israeli army has also mobilized its reserves, indicating that an escalation in the fighting might occur.
Additionally, Israeli negotiator for the ceasefire talks Amos Gilad delayed his scheduled trip to Egypt Monday, leading to speculation that Israel still has objectives to pursue in the operations which have been going on for 18 days and in which over 900 Palestinians have been killed, one third of them children.
“At the moment it seems I m not leaving for Cairo, but that doesn t matter since I stay in close touch with Egypt, Gilad told Ynet news late on Sunday.
