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Egyptian border guards are patrolling access roads to the region Thursday, directing traffic and preventing Palestinians from moving beyond the border area markets.
Palestinians began pouring into the Egyptian town of Rafah Wednesday, after militants detonated a series of explosions and destroyed a border barricade.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says he ordered border security forces to let the Palestinians cross, as long as they are not carrying weapons.
Israeli and U.S. government spokespersons have expressed concern about the breach.
Israeli defense officials are indicating that Israel may not resume shipments to Gaza since Palestinians are getting their supplies through Egypt.
Outgoing U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns is visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories through Friday.
He is set to meet separately with Israeli and Palestinian officials, as well as tour the U.N. refugee agency's headquarters in the Palestinian territories.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday expressed concern about the situation in Gaza. He said Israel has a right to defend itself against attacks but that it should not collectively punish civilians.
In New York, the president of the U.N. Security Council Libyan Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi said the body is nearly in agreement on a statement that would call on Israel to ensure Palestinian access to humanitarian aid. The draft also calls for an immediate end to the firing of rockets into Israel.
The Council is set to meet Thursday for a third round of negotiations on the text. The Council's president said 14 of the 15 members have agreed to the language.
The holdout is widely believed to be the United States.
Source: By VOA News
Posted January 24th, 2008 by seher
