The crowd included local residents, local Hamas activists and even one of the movements spokespersons who arrived from Gaza City, Sami Abu Zahri, who requested a halt to work in progress and the dismantling of the section of the barrier that has already been built. During the gathering people chanted slogans inviting Egypt not to choke the people of Gaza and to help the Palestinian people, while others carried signs saying Stop the siege or Enough walls and invoked Arab solidarity.
Hamas security, present in force, however avoided any excessive approach to the border and incidents of any kind. The barrier, which was created with the help of American technicians, represents Cairòs reply to the problem of underground tunnels which allow the passage of vital goods to the Gaza Strip (which has been under an almost total Israeli blockade since Hamas rose to power in 2007) in addition to weapons, militiamen and illegal aliens.
According to reports referred in recent days by the BBC and by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the project estimates a total final length of 10 kilometres for 30 metres of depth. Initially denied, the start of work was later confirmed by Cairo sources, which claimed Egypt's right to control its borders. And they blamed Hamas intransigence for the failed agreement (where Egypt acted as middleman) over inter-Palestinian reconciliation, which is considered as one of the reasons behind the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip.(ANSAmed).
Sources: Egypt to use sea water at the wall of death to drown tunnel diggers
[ 25/12/2009 - 11:30 AM ]
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Well informed sources revealed one of the secrets of wall of death being implemented by the Egyptian government on the border with the Gaza Strip which is a water system to be used for flooding existing tunnels and drowning anyone trying to dig new ones. The sources said that holes are being dug on the Palestinian side of the fence and pipes, 20 to 30 meters long inserted in the holes.
The work on the wall is being carried by Egyptian workers employed by the "Arab contractors" in the presence of foreign engineers on site.
According to the sources a 10 kilometre main pipe will carry water from the sea and distribute it to a comb of pipes planted in the ground about 30-40 meters apart which will be used as a first line of defence against tunnel diggers.
The sources added that the pipes that will be planted in the ground have holes and will regularly irrigate the soil which will cause present tunnels to collapse and will make it harder to dig new ones, and will have detrimental influence on the soil on the Palestinian side while the thirty to 35 meter deep steel wall protects the soil on the Egyptian side from such effects.
The Gaza Strip, which has been under siege for over three years, depends on those tunnels for food, milk, fuel and other essential goods smuggled from the Egyptian side. Not only that but the Egyptian side has also benefitted economically from those tunnels.
Uprooted Palestinian
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