Egypt re-affirms situation on Gaza border no longer chaotic

By NNN-KUNA

Cairo : Egyptian forces have restored control along the border line with Gaza and are making sure that Gazans crossing the line return after buying necessities on the Egyptian side of the frontier, a senior official said.


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Egypt’s permanent delegate at the United Nations, Ambassador Majed Abdel Fattah, said in remarks published on Saturday by the daily newspaper, “Al-Ahram,” the Egyptian authorities were in full control of the situation along the border line between Gaza and Egyptian territory.

His remarks coincided with fresh reports that many Gazans crossed the border Saturday to stock up on supplies, but apparently not in a chaotic manner.

Alluding to the flow of thousands of Palestinians into the Egyptian side, two days ago, he said that these Gazans burst across the fence as a result of the mounting Israeli pressure and a painful siege imposed on the strip. The blockade has caused severe shortage in fuel, food and bread in the region.

He reacted to Israeli protests for allowing the Gazans to cross the border, saying Tel Aviv “has no right to give instructions to Egypt if it opts to give humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.”

On Arabs’ diplomatic activities at the UN Security Council, he confirmed that these moves were intended to manifest solidarity against the Israel’s practices against the Palestinians and its breach of human rights in the occupied territories.

The daily with mass-circulation, meanwhile, quoted a diplomatic source as saying that Washington was holding intensive contacts with the Cairo government over conditions at the border. Egypt told the American side explicitly that it had allowed the Palestinians to cross the border for humanitarian considerations and for sake of securing basic food.

The Egyptian side also noted in these contacts that Cairo could not tolerate seeing Palestinians dying of hunger and that national security forces would not open fire at crowds crossing the border for fetching food.

Israel has surrounded Gaza in retaliation for missile attacks, but many states of the world have rejected the measure as collective punishment against 1.5 million people living in the strip.

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