By Xinhua
Gaza : Egyptian security forces on Tuesday dispersed with water cannons hundreds of Palestinian women, children and patients who tried to break through the closed Rafah crossing on Gaza-Egypt border in a protest.
Using water cannons, the Egyptian police dispersed Palestinian demonstrators who chanted the slogans against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and tried to forcibly enter Egyptian side of the border crossing, the witnesses said.
Meanwhile, Hamas police also stood hand in hand at the Palestinian side of the crossing to prevent the demonstrators from entering the Egyptian territory, they said.
A few Palestinian women were arrested by Egyptian border police after they succeeded in infiltrating Egyptian side through the metal gates, the witnesses added.
The demonstrators, mostly Hamas supporters, thronged to Rafah border crossing after Israel eased siege on Gaza and allowed five fuel tankers in to assuage the poor coastal enclave’s thirst for power.
Israel completely sealed off all Gaza crossings on Thursday and doubles strikes against Palestinian militants to revenge the increase of Palestinian rocket attacks against southern Israel.
In the wake of the tightened siege, the only power station of Gaza halted operation on Sunday due to the lack of fuel, putting the enclave into darkness.
Rafah crossing is the only gateway bypassing Israeli territory for Gazans who are enraged at Egypt’s shutdown of the crossing, regardless of the humanitarian crisis due to Israeli siege.