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| Pressure on Gaza's border mounts | Pressure on Gaza's border mounts |
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| Thousands of Palestinians have crossed from Gaza into Egypt via the ruined border fence at Rafah for a second day. | Thousands of Palestinians have crossed from Gaza into Egypt via the ruined border fence at Rafah for a second day. |
| Hundreds of Egyptian security personnel have moved into the area but are so far making no attempt to stem the traffic. | Hundreds of Egyptian security personnel have moved into the area but are so far making no attempt to stem the traffic. |
| Thousands of people streamed across the border on Wednesday to buy food and supplies after militants destroyed long stretches of the border fence. | Thousands of people streamed across the border on Wednesday to buy food and supplies after militants destroyed long stretches of the border fence. |
| In recent days Israel had tightened its blockade on Gaza, which is run by the Islamist Hamas movement. | In recent days Israel had tightened its blockade on Gaza, which is run by the Islamist Hamas movement. |
| Map of the Egypt-Gaza border area | Map of the Egypt-Gaza border area |
| GAZA BLOCKADE 17 January: Israel seals border following rise in rocket attacks20 January: Gaza's only power plant shuts down22 January: Israel eases restrictions22 January: Egyptian border guards disperse Palestinian protest against closure23 January: Border wall breached Blockade incites press anger | |
| The BBC's Ian Pannell, reporting from the Egyptian border town of Rafah, says it is if anything even busier than Wednesday, when at least 50,000 Gazans packed into cars and donkey carts or crossed the Egyptian border to buy supplies, seek medical attention, or to meet family members. | |
| He says there are so many Palestinians in Rafah that it is almost as if the town has been annexed by Gaza. | |
| The Palestinians left us with nothing. It's true, they are dear to us, but today, they were like locusts Ashraf el-SayyidEgypt resident | |
| The main street has become an enormous open-air market, selling all kinds of goods, including fuel, goats and other livestock, and cigarettes. | |
| Reports from Gaza say the price of cigarettes has halved. | |
| Our reporter says some complaints are now emerging that prices have risen so much that some items are available more cheaply in Gaza. | |
| On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would not let the Gaza blockade turn into a humanitarian crisis. | On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would not let the Gaza blockade turn into a humanitarian crisis. |
| But he said he could not allow Gazans to live normal lives while people in southern Israel were under rocket fire. | But he said he could not allow Gazans to live normal lives while people in southern Israel were under rocket fire. |
| Israel closed most crossing points into Gaza in June after Hamas seized control of Gaza. | Israel closed most crossing points into Gaza in June after Hamas seized control of Gaza. |
| Israel tightened the measures last week, complaining about rockets being fired from Gaza into Israeli territory. | Israel tightened the measures last week, complaining about rockets being fired from Gaza into Israeli territory. |
| Pressure | |
| Correspondents say the big question now is what happens next. | Correspondents say the big question now is what happens next. |
| Mr Olmert made no direct reference to the border breach in his speech, though he said Israel would keep up pressure on Gaza until rocket attacks from its territory ceased. | Mr Olmert made no direct reference to the border breach in his speech, though he said Israel would keep up pressure on Gaza until rocket attacks from its territory ceased. |
| "We will not hit food supplies for children or medicines for the needy," he said. | "We will not hit food supplies for children or medicines for the needy," he said. |
| We demand that our Arab brethren make a clear, practical and quick decision to take all measures and procedures to practically end the Gaza Strip siege Ismail HaniyaHamas leader Egypt faces Gaza surgeIn pictures: Border breachedGaza diary: Day Two | We demand that our Arab brethren make a clear, practical and quick decision to take all measures and procedures to practically end the Gaza Strip siege Ismail HaniyaHamas leader Egypt faces Gaza surgeIn pictures: Border breachedGaza diary: Day Two |
| "But there is no justification for demanding we allow residents of Gaza to live normal lives while shells and rockets are fired from their streets and courtyards at Sderot and other communities in the south." | "But there is no justification for demanding we allow residents of Gaza to live normal lives while shells and rockets are fired from their streets and courtyards at Sderot and other communities in the south." |
| Israel has called on Egypt to take control of the border - it is worried that Palestinians might smuggle weapons into Gaza. | Israel has called on Egypt to take control of the border - it is worried that Palestinians might smuggle weapons into Gaza. |
| But there is a great deal of sympathy in the Arab world for Gazans under the Israeli blockade. | But there is a great deal of sympathy in the Arab world for Gazans under the Israeli blockade. |
| Egypt has said it will not use force to send the Gazans back. | Egypt has said it will not use force to send the Gazans back. |
| Foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said the border would be closed again when all the Palestinians had returned. | Foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said the border would be closed again when all the Palestinians had returned. |
| EGYPT-GAZA BORDER 12km (7.4 miles) longEgyptian side patrolled by 750 soldiers under 2005 agreement with IsraelBorder crossing terminal south of town of RafahPA control of terminal under EU supervision collapsed after Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007 Border closed almost continuously since Gaza's rocket threat to Israel'Wartime' on Israeli borderProfile: Gaza Strip | EGYPT-GAZA BORDER 12km (7.4 miles) longEgyptian side patrolled by 750 soldiers under 2005 agreement with IsraelBorder crossing terminal south of town of RafahPA control of terminal under EU supervision collapsed after Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007 Border closed almost continuously since Gaza's rocket threat to Israel'Wartime' on Israeli borderProfile: Gaza Strip |
| For its part, Hamas has called for urgent talks with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority on border crossings. | For its part, Hamas has called for urgent talks with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority on border crossings. |
| "We demand that our Arab brethren make a clear, practical and quick decision to take all measures and procedures to practically end the Gaza Strip siege," said Hamas leader Ismail Haniya. | "We demand that our Arab brethren make a clear, practical and quick decision to take all measures and procedures to practically end the Gaza Strip siege," said Hamas leader Ismail Haniya. |
| The Hamas leader seemed to respond positively to an offer from Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad to control Gaza's borders - so far rejected by Israel. | The Hamas leader seemed to respond positively to an offer from Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad to control Gaza's borders - so far rejected by Israel. |
| "We do not want to control everything, we are part of the Palestinian people," said Mr Haniya. | "We do not want to control everything, we are part of the Palestinian people," said Mr Haniya. |
| Internationally, the UN Security Council is due to meet on Thursday for the second time in three days to try to agree a statement calling for an immediate end to violence in Gaza and southern Israel. | Internationally, the UN Security Council is due to meet on Thursday for the second time in three days to try to agree a statement calling for an immediate end to violence in Gaza and southern Israel. |
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