February 04, 2008	Monday	Muharram 25, 1429

RAFAH (Gaza Strip), Feb 3: Egyptian and Hamas forces closed the Gaza border on Sunday after reportedly agreeing to control the frontier blown open by militants nearly two weeks ago in a bid to break a crippling Israeli blockade.

Metal barriers and barbed wire were placed across all gaps in the border at the divided town of Rafah, again sealing off the Gaza Strip after nearly half the impoverished territory's 1.5 million population flooded into Egypt.

“No more Palestinians are being allowed in,” an Egyptian security source said.

One gate remained open to allow Palestinians and Egyptians to return home, but otherwise no pedestrians or vehicles were being allowed to cross.

Dozens of armed and helmeted Hamas men shook batons at crowds gathered at the border, hoping that the resealed breaches will open just one more time.

“Everyone needs to leave immediately! If you're not Egyptian, you've got to leave now!” the Hamas men yelled in a bid to disperse people crowded near the barrier.

On the Egyptian side of Rafah, security forces briefly detained a reporter and photographer, erasing the photographer's memory cards. Egypt's government press office said that no foreign journalists would be allowed to work in the Egyptian part of the town until further notice.

The streets there were almost entirely deserted on Sunday, with cars banned around the frontier and in Rafah's town centre unless they were headed home, a correspondent said.

People continued to go home from both sides of the border, with a queue of horse- and donkey-drawn carts laden with household goods waiting to cross into Gaza at Brazil Gate.

A spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza, Ihad Hussein, said that the closure “will last until we have a new agreement to open the Rafah crossing.” The move to reseal the chaotic border — the only crossing that bypasses Israel — came after senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahar announced on Saturday that the Islamists had agreed with Egypt on restoring order.

The accord followed separate talks between Egyptian officials and Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, but details of the agreement were not clear.—AFP