AP Photo Archive
Egyptian border guards place barbed wire to prevent people from crossing the border between the Rafah Refugee Camp in the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt Friday, Sept. 16, 2005.

Conflict at Gaza Strip border causes more religious tension

RAFAH, Egypt (AP) – Thousands of Palestinians broke through Egyptian and Palestinian Authority lines on the Gaza border for a second day Friday, pouring into Egypt in defiance of government attempts to secure the frontier.

In the empty Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim in the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, thousands of masked Hamas gunmen marched in formation at a large victory rally, the Islamic militant group’s latest show of strength.

The border issue and visible Hamas presence pose a serious challenge to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is trying to assert control in Gaza. Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defense official, challenged the Palestinian Authority to shut the open border, saying its credibility was on the line over its failure to stop the flow of gunrunners across the frontier.

Friday’s surge at the border began when Palestinians waiting to cross pelted their own security forces with stones at the Saladin gate, the main informal crossing in this border town. When the Palestinian security officials gave way, the crowd pushed through the iron gateway and tackled the Egyptian police.

Police tried to beat the crowd back with sticks but were overwhelmed. A Hamas activist, who identified himself as Abu Masab Hamad, warned the Palestinian Authority not to bow to Israeli and international demands to disarm the group.

“If it (the Palestinian Authority) gives in we will oppose it. We shall cling to our arms like we cling to our religion,” he said.