Egyptian forces shot and wounded at least two Palestinians on Wednesday during a violent protest on the Egypt-Gaza border against an underground steel wall Egypt is building to block smuggling tunnels, medical officials said.
The shooting erupted after scores of Palestinian protesters hurled rocks at the soldiers, witnesses and medical officials said.
Israel and Egypt maintain a blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas Islamists.
An Israeli military officer, who is briefed on Gaza intelligence, told Reuters last week the Egyptian wall could significantly stem Palestinian arms smuggling into the territory once it is completed in several months.
Cairo has played down the scope of the dig on the 14km-long border. Hamas calls the obstacle a “wall of death” that could smother tunnels that also provide Palestinians in the Gaza Strip with a wide range of commercial goods.
Egyptian officials have said steel tubes were being placed at several points along the frontier to form a barrier, but have not elaborated on its purpose.
Tunnel-builders say about 3 000 of the underground passages were operational before Israel launched a three-week Gaza offensive a year ago, but only 150 were still functional following the conflict and subsequent Israeli air raids. – Reuters