Egypt lifts state of alert after shots fired by Palestinian gunmen

Published today (updated) 19/12/2009 15:39

Al-Arish – Ma’an –

Palestinian gunmen in Gaza fired on Egyptian workers installing a steel wall on the Egypt-Gaza border Saturday, Egyptian security sources said, prompting a state of alert to be declared in the area.

The sniper shots targeted Egyptian soldiers, reportedly coming from a tower area within the Gaza Strip. Egyptian security said the incident took place 3km south of the Salah Ad-Din area of Rafah. No injuries were reported.

The series of sniper shots were the second reported by Egyptian security, following a similar event on Wednesday.

Egyptian officials began construction of the a large steel wall in November reportedly to prevent continued smuggling efforts in the system of tunnels between the Strip and Egypt. The wall runs both above and below ground, is 25 meters deep and ten kilometers long.

On 23 January 2008, Hamas fighters knocked down the steel wall marking the Egypt-Gaza border, as the Strip population got increasingly desperate for supplies. The Israeli siege on Gaza had been going on for two years at the time, making domestic gas and household items, as well as basic foodstuffs, expensive and scarce.

Egyptian Soldier Killed By Smugglers Fire

Friday December 18, 2009 11:09 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Egyptian sources reported that a border-guard Egyptian policeman was shot and killed on Thursday evening during armed clashes with armed drug smugglers along the Egyptian-Israeli border.

A senior Egyptian security official said that the soldier was on guard along the International Border Mark 8, one kilometer south of the Kerem Shalom Crossing.

The official added that the soldier noticed the smugglers trying to cross the barbed wire and opened fire at them. The smugglers fired back and shot him dead before they fled back into Egypt.

Furthermore, Egyptian security sources stated that the unit in charge of installing the Iron Wall along the border came under fire from Palestinian gunmen.

The fire caused damage while no injuries were reported among Egyptian soldiers supervising the installation and the workers.

Hamas security forces in Gaza managed to remove the gunmen from the border area, while Egypt stepped-up its military presence and deployed more of its troops along the border with Gaza.

The Iron Wall is being installed by Egypt under direct supervision and support from the United States.