Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

Egyptian anti-riot policemen stand alert at the breached border between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip in the border town of Rafah, Jan. 28, 2008. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

   GAZA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian security forces started to impose its control on the border with Gaza Strip by closing the breaches that Hamas militants blew up a week ago, witnesses said on Tuesday.

    The Egyptian border forces have walled up 11 breaches in the 15-km-long concrete fence separating the Gaza Strip and Egypt in southern Gaza town of Rafah, but there are still two holes remained open to allow both Egyptians and Palestinians to cross back home.

    Over the past six days, the Gazans crossed freely into Egypt's Sinai Peninsular, mainly al-Arish town that is 40 km away from Rafah, and bought anything they could reach.

    After shops and stores in al-Arish is depleting stocks, the Egyptian Central Security personnel cut off goods supplies from Egypt to Mediterranean coastal town of al-Arish and ordered shutdown of all shops.

    The security procedures along with the rainy weather lessened the movement of Gazans throughout the border and helped the Egyptian security to gradually seal off the border.

    However, in front of Northern Sinai Governorate, up to 100 Gazans still continued their sit-in protest for the sixth consecutive day, demanding official stamps on their passports to allow them to make further travel to Cairo and the outside world.

    The demonstrators were mainly patients, students and citizens of foreign countries who have been stranded in Gaza since the borders were closed in June, 2007.

    The border tumult occurred as the hope for lifting the Israeli siege dashed after Israel further tightened the blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza.

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