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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Hamas 'spent months cutting through Gaza wall in secret operation' |
| 2008-01-23 |
| As tens of thousands of Palestinians clambered back and forth between the Gaza strip and Egypt today, details emerged of the audacious operation that brought down a hated border wall and handed the Islamist group Hamas what might be its greatest propaganda coup. Hamas, which took control of the coastal territory last June after a stand-off with Fatah, has denied that its men set off the explosions that brought down as much as two-thirds of the 12-km wall in the early hours. But a Hamas border guard interviewed by The Times at the border today admitted that the Islamist group was responsible and had been involved for months in slicing through the heavy metal wall using oxy-acetylene cutting torches. That meant that when the explosive charges were set off in 17 different locations after midnight last night the 40ft wall came tumbling down, leaving it lying like a broken concertina down the middle of no-man's land as an estimated 350,000 Gazans flooded into Egypt. The guard, Lieutenant Abu Usama of the Palestinian National Security, said of the cutting operation: "I've seen this happening over the last few months. It happened in the daytime but was covered up so that nobody would see." Asked whether he had reported it to the government, he replied: "It was the government that was doing this. Who would I report it to?" Good point... The skill of the Hamas demolition operation was clear to see along the border today, although The Times could not visit the entire length of the border. Where the charges had been laid, the wall was heavily damaged. Elsewhere it appeared to be clearly cut. The destruction of the wall prompted hundreds of thousands to cross into Egypt – and Egyptian border guards did not try to stem the tide of humanity. Instead Rafah became a huge Middle Eastern bazaar. Thousands of people were herding back cows, sheep and even camels from Egypt into the Gaza strip. Others brought back motorbikes while many women lugged back cans of olive oil and men could be seen weighed down with jerry-cans full of fuel. Moneychangers flocked to the border, offering Egyptian pounds and American dollars for the Gazans' Israeli shekels. The shops soon began to run out, however, and those returning were complaining of sky-rocketing prices. Instead, many people jumped into taxis - or even on the roofs of taxis - to take themselves to El Arish, 45km away, the nearest town with shops. In no-man's land, along the stretch that the Israelis used to call Philadelphia Road before their disengagement in 2005, Hamas gunmen raced along in pick-up trucks flying the group's green flag. Egyptian riot police waited by the gates of the old border crossing, leaning with nonchalance against their riot shields. Egyptian shopkeepers swiftly raised prices of milk, taxi rides and cigarettes, but that did not deter the Gazans, for many of whom it was their first trip out of the territory. Some staggered back into Gaza carrying televisions, and others sported brand-new mobile phones. In Gaza City, prices of cigarettes - which had skyrocketed during the total blockade of the past week - fell by 70 per cent in a few hours. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #9 But a Hamas border guard interviewed by The Times at the border today admitted that the Islamist group was responsible and had been involved for months in slicing through the heavy metal wall using oxy-acetylene cutting torches. In all likelihood, Mubarak knew what was going on before the first torch was sparked. |
| Posted by: mrp 2008-01-23 22:15 |
| #8 HAMAS is offering 10-25 years of "quiet" [read - NOT peace] That's a hudna. Quiet while Hamas rearms after the Israeli raids, in preparation for the next phase of the "Intifada". |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-01-23 21:23 |
| #7 HAARETZ > ISRAELI DEFENSE ESTABLISHMENT ANGRY AT EGYPT FOR GAZA BREACH; + YNETNEWS >OP-ED:MY TALKS WITH HAMAS. Among other thingys, HAMAS is offering 10-25 years of "quiet" [read - NOT peace] in return for Israel opening up the GAZA borders to allow Paleos into Israel; + GAZA: MASSES RETURN FROM EGYPT WITH COWS/LIVESTOCK. "They're starving in Gaza" - in addition, Egyptian authors claim that PALEOS HAVE NOT PURCHASED OR PROCURED ANY WEAPONS TO BRING BACK INTO GAZA FOR USE AGZ ISRAEL. PALESTINIANS > ITS EASIER TO BUY/FIND WEAPONS IN GAZA THAN MEDICINE FOR CANCER OR COCA-COLA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-01-23 19:55 |
| #6 JPOST > ANALYZE THIS - MUCH MORE THAN JUST A BORDER PROBLEM. Author argues that HAMAS remains intent on using GAZA = PA as a forward deployed staging area for attacks agz Israel, and that any failure by Israel, Egypt, + International negotiations to empower a stable reality vv Paleos will suppor the HAMAS other major agenda of defeating the Two-State Solution, etc I.E. COMPROMISE WID ISRAEL. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-01-23 19:44 |
| #5 I'm shocked; I think I need to lie down for a while... |
| Posted by: Raj 2008-01-23 19:29 |
| #4 We pay Egypt $2 billion per annum to ensure that things like this do not happen in Sinai. Aftr more than two decades the rationale for keeping the Multinational Force in Sinai is wearing thin. |
| Posted by: Balthazar 2008-01-23 18:23 |
| #3 WND > EGYPT ALLOWS WEAPONS TO RUSH INTO GAZA. EGyptian security forces reportedly failed to interfere as weapons shipments plied back and forth in trucks from Egypt into Gaza. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-01-23 17:53 |
| #2 No one wants the Paleos though, no one. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2008-01-23 17:43 |
| #1 No border means Gaza is once more part of Egypt. Now we just need to make them take it back... |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-01-23 15:57 |