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Palestinians flooding into Egypt last month over a section of the border wall blasted away by militants in southern Gaza. (AP)
Last update - 23:39 24/02/2008
Israel: Hamas to blame if civilians hurt in Gaza border march
By Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff and Yuval Azoulay , Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, West Bank 

Israel warned Hamas on Sunday evening that the organization would be responsible for any consequences of a planned march along the Gaza Strip's border Monday, saying any harm to civilians would be Hamas' fault.

Some 40,000 Palestinians are expected to march along the Gaza Strip's border in protest of Israel's economic embargo on the coastal territory.

"Israel will defend its territory and will stop any infiltration attempt into its sovereign borders," Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in a joint statement sent to all Israeli embassies and missions.
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"Hamas is behind activities that place the civilian population on the front lines," the statement added.

The Israel Police will heighten security across the country on Monday, as intelligence officials warned that tens of thousands of Gazans were planning to form a human chain from Rafah to the Erez border crossing as early as 10 A.M. on Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces has already beefed up troops along the border, in preparation for the march, expected after gasoline ran out in Gaza over the weekend.

A large number of police forces will be deployed to join the IDF in the southern district, in case the protest gets out of hand.

The head of the Palestinian Popular Anti-Siege Committee protest, Jamal al-Khudary, said: "We do not have intentions of approaching the fence, either in the north or the south. We hope all the participants will abide by the instructions and we will try to prevent any violations."

He also said the protesters would not try to confront IDF troops.

An official Hamas source maintained that the mass flow towards the border - which will comprise Palestinian women and children - would be spontaneous and was not based concrete plan.

However, he added that the next time Gaza residents decide to rally the economic embargo, the protest would be held only on the border with Israel, and not the border with Egypt.

A security source in Jerusalem said the army was preparing for "all scenarios" ahead of Monday's protest.

"Obviously, if gunmen start shooting at the fence we will have to respond in kind and we are absolutely unwilling to countenance a situation where the fence is breached like it was at Rafah," the source said.

IDF troops on the border have been issued special open fire orders in order to stop even a small number of protesters from crossing the fence, and the army has demarked especially sensitive areas.

If necessary, IDF artillery will fire warning shots at open areas, and should the protestors continue their advance, troops will employ riot dispersal methods.

As a last resort, snipers will open fire at protestors legs. The orders were approved by senior General Staff officers as well as Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

The IDF also said that all Gaza crossings would be closed Monday, including to foreign nationals and journalists.

The gasoline shortage was the result of limitations imposed by Israel on imports into the Strip, excluding fuel for emergency vehicles. Diesel fuel is also said to be in short supply.

Israel's concerns are based on the breach of the Gaza-Egyptian border a month ago, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians streamed across Rafah into Egypt after Hamas blew up the wall there.

Israel believes Hamas is now planning a new action, directed at Israel, to break the siege on the Gaza Strip and draw global attention to the plight of Gaza's impoverished residents.

Two Qassams fired from Gaza, one strikes western Negev

Palestinian militants in Gaza on Sunday fired two Qassam rockets at southern Israel, Army Radio reported.

One of the rockets struck an open field in the western Negev and the other landed in Palestinian territory. No injuries or damages were reported in either incident.

Also on Sunday, IDF forces uncovered five tunnels used for weapons smuggling during an operation in Dahaniyeh, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, three Palestinians were killed Saturday afternoon in an Israel Air Forces strike on Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip. Sources in the Strip said the dead were civilians. The IDF said the three had been observed attempting to launch a mortar shell at Israel.

Two armed Palestinians were also killed in other incidents in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas declared Saturday as an international day of protest against the siege. Anti-Israel rallies were held in a number of Arab and European countries. Thousands of Palestinians attended the main demonstration in Gaza City, marching to the United Nations headquarters. The IDF deployed a number of battalions near the fence in the northern Strip to prepare for possible Palestinian attempts to breach the border.

The IDF Gaza Brigade has been conducting exercises simulating mass civilian marches, outfitting the soldiers with riot-control gear. The army is concerned that Palestinians may try to take over crossings on the Israel-Gaza Strip border, and that Hamas intends to march them into a Jewish community near Gaza.

Military sources cite the "Hezbollah precedent": The sign that the buffer zone in southern Lebanon was collapsing on the eve of the IDF's withdrawal in May 2000 came when the Southern Lebanese Army abandoned the Taybeh post and hundreds of unarmed Lebanese civilians marched on it.

Meanwhile, Gaza residents Saturday told Haaretz that their cars are "stuck" and they are using taxis or wagons hitched to donkeys. "At most of the gas stations you can't find diesel either," Imad, a Gaza resident, said.

Security officials told Haaretz they are meeting their pledge to the Supreme Court to transfer fuel for emergency vehicles, approximately 75,000 liters a week.

A delegation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad members met over the weekend with representatives of Egyptian intelligence in El Arish to discuss opening the Rafah border crossing. This was their third meeting in the past 10 days. News agencies reported that the Egyptians told the Palestinians that they will thwart any more attempts to rush the border.

A Hamas spokesman in the Strip, Ayman Taha, said that the parties had reached an understanding regarding the expected release today of 105 Palestinians arrested by the Egyptians in Sinai. Those arrested were apparently mainly armed activists.

Related articles:
  • Hamas takes control at frontier as 200,000 Gazans enter Egypt
  • Olmert calls for international force along Gaza-Egypt border
  • Israel demands that Egypt restore order at Gaza-Egypt border
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      1.   Thousands of terrorists forcing its way into Israel is a freebie 03:23  |  Johnny 24/02/08
      2.   Gazans stop quassams, terror, their life is back to normal 03:30  |  Johnny 24/02/08
      3.   They`d be better off protesting against Hamas 03:31  |  Judith 24/02/08
      4.   Who would vote for a nazi party today? Gazans did! 03:31  |  Johnny 24/02/08
      5.   Bravo Gaza! Your people will not bow down to the evil state that 03:35  |  lakshmi 24/02/08
      6.   well done 03:38  |  Daniel 24/02/08
      7.   Bomb in front of them as a warning 03:46  |  Realist 24/02/08
      8.   Surely IDF has tear gas? 03:48  |  and gas masks 24/02/08
      9.   Lakshmi cheers for people to get shot 03:50  |  idf_sergeant 24/02/08
      10.   Johny the Idiot and Racist 03:51  |  Billy T 24/02/08
      11.   #5 Lakshmi Keep dreaming you jerk 03:52  |  Boris 24/02/08
      12.   # If any free election in Gaza 03:52  |  Bobby 24/02/08
      13.   good job olmert 03:53  |  sami 24/02/08
      14.   #2 Stop Kassams all will be normal 03:56  |  Bobby 24/02/08
      15.   No.5 I do understand that 03:57  |  Mike Binelli 24/02/08
      16.   Gandhi 04:00  |  jjvanka 24/02/08
      17.   Egypt, Move the Shopkeepers to the Rafah Border Fence. 04:24  |  Reader 24/02/08
      18.   then we should march on gaza and move the border if it is to be a 04:28  |  ralph 24/02/08
      19.   Aim For Their Knees 04:32  |  dyinglikeflies 24/02/08
      20.   Israel stop state terror, Gazans stop qassams 04:33  |  Arula 24/02/08
      21.   Pal logic: 04:35  |  Arula 24/02/08
      22.   I encourage the people of Gaza to `rise up` to Israeli occupation 04:35  |  POP 24/02/08
      23.   Lakshmi-Hot Babe 04:39  |  Honest Observation 24/02/08
      24.   Riot Gear 04:39  |  Ron 24/02/08
      25.   Inspite of your Cruelty 04:41  |  pal 24/02/08
      26.   One hundred years ago 04:47  |  Mark Lincoln 24/02/08
      27.   Well Bravo, this is how this will be the end of Gaza/Gazans 04:48  |  Genuine Tosefta 24/02/08
      28.   Mark Lincoln 05:16  |  Gina 24/02/08
      29.   How to Prevent Border Breach 05:16  |  Garry 24/02/08
      30.   Actions have consequences 05:18  |  Melech Gendin 24/02/08
      31.   TZURI # 16 05:27  |  judith 24/02/08
      32.   borders move both ways not just one way lets take back our land 05:38  |  ralph 24/02/08
      33.   pal #25 - that is why we (Jews) have returned to our land 05:42  |  Moises 24/02/08
      34.   Lakschmi fool 05:47  |  Sabra 24/02/08
      35.   how it will godown 05:52  |  Sabra 24/02/08
      36.   # 27 How stupid Israel could be 06:00  |  Bobby 24/02/08
      37.   Gazan rushing the border 06:15  |  jerry 24/02/08
      38.   An ounce of prevention 06:24  |  Moshe 24/02/08
      39.   IDF should talk to Michael Vick who has some mean dogs for sale 06:24  |  Voice of Reason 24/02/08
      40.   Waiting for clickfool`s brilliant post. 06:29  |  leo 24/02/08
      41.   Mark Lincoln 06:46  |  Proud Zionist 24/02/08
      42.   The crime of the century in living color 06:53  |  Joe 24/02/08
      43.   Only a bunch of morons would commit mass suicide 06:58  |  DaveS 24/02/08
      44.   #26 Mark Lincoln 07:05  |  fiona 24/02/08
      45.   Impotence 07:07  |  US Observer 24/02/08
      46.   Palis have a split-personality syndrome 07:08  |  Dr. Oliver Sacks 24/02/08
      47.   What part of Stop your rockets and bombs don`t they understand? 07:08  |  Dan 24/02/08
      48.   Ghandi # 15 07:13  |  judith 24/02/08
      49.   #15 Ghandi 07:17  |  judith 24/02/08
      50.   Don`t bomb them 07:33  |  Fabian 24/02/08
      51.   Kassam excuse 07:41  |  Truths 24/02/08
      52.   to Lakshmi 08:16  |  Albert 24/02/08
      53.   Sami 08:18  |  Albert 24/02/08
      54.   Arula 08:20  |  Albert 24/02/08
      55.   Mark Lincoln 08:26  |  Albert 24/02/08
      56.   The "economic sanctions" are yet the biggest Olmert`s mistake 08:31  |  S 24/02/08
      57.   To the Palestininans of Gaza: come over to the Netherlands! 08:36  |  Dutch Dirk 24/02/08
      58.   Truths #51 08:39  |  Albert 24/02/08
      59.   Do not fight with one hand chained behind your back. 08:46  |  Jean Van Daem 24/02/08
      60.   Large numbers of casualties from the army`s attempts to stop them 08:54  |  Palestinian Brit 24/02/08
      61.   Split Personality 08:58  |  Palestinian Brit 24/02/08
      62.   #56, S 09:08  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 24/02/08
      63.   How about ANTI-HAMAS rallies!? 09:12  |  akiva (zionist) 24/02/08
      64.   Johnny, rare voice from Sweden! 09:14  |  akiva (zionist) 24/02/08
      65.   Sound waves, lasers and if not the first dozen or so die! 09:40  |  redmike 24/02/08
      66.   Palestinian Brit 09:40  |  Michael 24/02/08
      67.   42-Very touching, Joe 09:50  |  Stephen in New York 24/02/08
      68.   Creative means of dealing with the problem 09:50  |  FOX 24/02/08