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Gazans form human chain
25/02/2008 12:22 - (SA)
Jerusalem - Gazans formed a human chain the length of the territory on Monday to protest the crushing Israeli blockade, with Israeli forces on alert for any rush on the border.
The Popular Committee Against the Siege, a politically independent group headed by Jamal al-Khudari, an MP with close links to the Islamist Hamas movement, called for the mass demonstration against the months-long siege on the impoverished territory.
The group announced it would construct a human chain from the sealed Rafah crossing on Gaza's southern border with Egypt to the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing in the north along the territory's main highway.
The demonstration began at 10:30.
Hamas, which seized the Gaza Strip in June following battles with forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, said it backs the demonstration but is not organising it.
Israeli army on alert
Israel warned Hamas that it would defend its territory if there were any disturbances during the rally.
Media reports said the Israeli army is preparing for any attempt to storm the border fence around the Gaza Strip aimed at breaking the blockade.
The Jerusalem Post said an artillery battery had been moved to the border for the first time in months.
It said the army refused to confirm or deny a report that troops would be instructed to fire at protesters' legs if they approach the border fence.
The Haaretz daily said, however, the rules of engagement would include various levels of warning and the use of live ammunition "selectively."
The newspaper said army and police commanders reviewed preparedness on Sunday night, and that 6&nsbps;500 police had been deployed to the area to maintain order.
According to Israeli army radio, Hamas may stage a mass march on the border to protest at Israel's closure of Gaza, where most of the 1.5 million population depend on aid.
Media reports said organisers were planning to place one person every metre along the roughly 40km road running from Rafah to Beit Hanun, for a total of around 40 000 people.
Reports said the Israelis' main concern was what might happen at its northern terminus near the Erez crossing.
Holes blasted in border
On January 23, Palestinian militants blasted several holes in the border barrier between Gaza and Egypt, sending a tide of hundreds of thousands of people streaming into the Sinai on a mission to replenish depleted stocks.
Hamas gunmen and Egyptian troops resealed the border on February 3.
Israel has sealed the territory to all but vital humanitarian supplies since Hamas seized power in June, in a bid to put pressure on the Islamist group to halt rocket and mortar attacks on southern Israel.
But the Palestinians and several international agencies have said the sanctions amount to collective punishment of the civilian population.
- AFP
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