U.S. Military officials in Egypt to present plan to counter tunnels

Wednesday August 26, 2009 00:14 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Egyptian security sources reported Tuesday that American military experts arrived at the Al-Arish International Airport and headed, while heavily guarded, to the Rafah border terminal where they met senior Egyptian security officials.

The officials held a meeting with their Egyptian counterparts and presented a detailed plan that includes high-tech equipment to uncover tunnels.

The equipment was donated by the United States as the country is sponsoring the installation of high-tech devices to stop the smuggling at the Gaza-Egypt border.

The U.S. officials said that the congress-supported plan aims at securing the 13.5-kilometer border line between Egypt and Gaza. The congress approved allocating 50 Million USD to secure the borders between Egypt and Israel.

They visited the border area and saw the tunnels that were uncovered and detonated by Egypt. The number of tunnels uncovered so far exceeded 300.

The officials also observed the ongoing installation of surveillance cameras and monitoring systems along the border, and thanked Egypt for its efforts to counter the tunnels on its border with Gaza.

It is worth mentioning that Egypt installed high-tech surveillance cameras along the border line as an initial step towards installing the new systems.

The equipment can detect underground tunnels, and also detects any underground movement even if it is far away.

OCHA: "Gaza on the verge of humanitarian crisis"

Wednesday August 26, 2009 04:52 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

A report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that the Gaza Strip is on the verge of a devastating humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing Israeli siege on the coastal region since more than three years (The Israeli siege was imposed on the Gaza Strip following the Palestinian parliamentary elections, in which Hamas won the majority of seats. Both of Egypt and NATO countries signed up with the Israeli occupation government to tighten the siege on Gaza).

The UN stated that some 120.000 employees have lost their jobs, while %75 of the residents does not even have sufficient access food, proper education and health services.

The report added that the ongoing Israeli siege has created further crises in Gaza, and increasing the suffering of the residents as they do not have access to basic services.

It also said that as Israel hold foods supplies on the borders for extended periods under security claims, most of the food eventually expires and becomes unfit for human consumption.

Israel is holding some 17000 containers filled with foodstuffs and supplies. The goods stored in the containers are worth $10.000.000.

Hamas: The Israeli bombing in Rafah a crime against humanity

[ 25/08/2009 - 12:54 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Hamas Movement condemned Tuesday the Israeli bombing in Rafah which caused civilian casualties as “a crime against humanity”, stressing that Israel does not only tighten the blockade on the Gaza Strip, but also it persists in the killing of civilians under its siege in full view of the whole world.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Israel’s impudence to commit such crime without regard for the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan came as a result of the Arab and international silence towards Israel’s practices especially after its genocidal war in Gaza.

Spokesman Barhoum warned that the Arab silence, the Palestinian Authority’s willingness to persist in its peace negotiations and the international connivance made Israel a "legitimate criminal killing, bombing and blockading without any deterrent".

Three Palestinian brothers were killed and seven wounded at dawn Tuesday when Israeli warplanes bombed border areas in Rafah.

Israeli air raid on tunnels kills three brothers, injures seven citizens

[ 25/08/2009 - 10:30 AM ]

RAFAH, (PIC)-- Three Palestinian brothers were killed and seven other citizens were injured when Israeli warplanes bombed at dawn Tuesday border areas between Gaza Strip and Egypt in Rafah.

Dr. Muawiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency in the health ministry, told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that Israeli warplanes bombed the area of Salahuddin gate in Al-Brazil refugee camp in Rafah which led to the destruction of two tunnels used to supply Gaza with vital supplies.

He said that the medical and civil defense crews were able to recover the bodies of three Palestinian brothers and seven others who sustained different injuries.

The Hebrew radio had claimed as usual that the Israeli bombing targeted a tunnel used to smuggle arms and ammunition into Gaza.

In another context, the ministry of agriculture on Tuesday strongly denounced the IOF troops for targeting a group of farmers in Al-Atatra area in Beit Lahia on Monday evening which led to the death of a farmer and the injury of another.

The ministry said that the IOF troops opened fire at ambulances as they were trying to rescue the wounded farmers who were left bleeding for hours.

The ministry appealed to international organizations to protect Palestinian farmers from the ongoing Israeli violations.

In the context of Israeli violations against the Palestinian people, the Hebrew radio reported that the Israeli police kidnapped 33 Palestinian workmen in the town of Petah Tikva at the pretext of staying in the 1948 occupied Palestinian lands without permits.

In retaliation to the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, the Brigades of Salahuddin, the armed wing of the popular resistance committees, claimed responsibility for firing at dawn Tuesday four mortar shells at an Israeli special force that tried to infiltrate into the area of Amour, east of Rafah, which forced them to retreat.