Hamas: The Egyptian soldier was not killed by Palestinian gunfire

PIC

[ 12/01/2010 - 06:01 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Tuesday that the Egyptian soldier who was shot dead during the recent events in Rafah area was not killed by Palestinian gunfire.

In a press statement published by Palestine newspaper, spokesman Abu Zuhri expressed his Movement’s dismay at Egypt's claims that it had names of two Palestinians involved in the killing of the soldier and called for forming a committee to determine the parties who gave instructions to Egyptian soldiers to open fire at Palestinian protesters.

The spokesman affirmed that Egypt’s accusations are an attempt to cover up the responsibly of its soldiers for opening fire at Palestinian citizens and for killing one of their comrades.

He explained that the Egyptian soldier was killed by friendly fire targeting Palestinian youths, citing as evidence the remarks made by Dr. Tarek Al-Mahlawi, the Egyptian deputy health minister, that the soldier died of two bullets fired at his back.

The spokesman added that the Egyptian popular committee in Al-Arish town in north Sinai which includes the parties of Tajamua, Karama, Wafd and independents confirmed that the soldier was killed by mistake by Egyptian gunfire.

Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Abul Ghait had claimed that Egypt had the names of two Palestinians who shot dead the Egyptian soldier during clashes that broke out at the Palestinian-Egyptian borders.

Besides the killing of the Egyptian soldier, the clashes led to the injury of 35 Palestinians, two of them were declared clinically dead and many others are still in serious medical conditions.

In another context, the debka file website affiliated with the Israeli intelligence revealed Monday that the wall which the Israeli government is establishing on its borders with Egypt at a cost of $1.5 billion came in the wake of pressures made by the US and Egypt on Israel in order to tighten the screws on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The website added that Egypt and the US put pressure on Israel to build a security fence supplement to the steel wall being built on Gaza borders in order to cut off any roads leading to it.

It added that these Egyptian and Israeli walls are aimed to subdue Hamas and force it to sign a reconciliation agreement with Fatah and sever its relations with Iran.

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