Palestinian millitants from Al Aqsa Martyrs' brigades, drive a digger through a concrete wall on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in the town of Rafah, Wednesday Jan. 4, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters)

GAZA, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Militants from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of the ruling Fatah movement, said Wednesday that they agreed to calm down the situation at Rafah crossing following a deal reached with security forces.

   Masked militants of the group held a news conference near the crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border, saying they agreed to calm down the situation at Rafah if security forces free Alla al-Hams, a militant of the group who was arrested for being involved in kidnapping three Britons near Rafah last Wednesday.

   One of the masked militants said that al-Hams will be released Thursday afternoon.

   Meanwhile, Palestinian security sources said hundreds of police officers and security forces re-deployed Wednesday night along the crossing after militants ripped through the border wall.

   Earlier in the day, dozens of discontented al-Aqsa Brigades militants demolished part of the border wall by bulldozers in protest against the arrest of al-Hams. Enditem