Egypt directs Palestinian throngs at the border

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Egyptian border guards wielding clubs and electric prods directed throngs of Palestinians as they crossed into Egypt for a second day Thursday but made little attempt to block the flow from Gaza.

Still, Egyptian officials warned that the Gazans' brief bliss of freedom, shopping and visiting relatives will soon come to an end with the resealing of the border.

For the second day in a row, scenes of frenzy, chaos and joy played out at the Gaza-Egypt border. Guards channeled crowds through a handful of openings, where Palestinians pushed, shouted and jostled their way into Egypt, braving a gantlet of cows, camels, fertilizer, food and truckloads of cement.

In what looked like a first step toward restoring a border, Egyptian security forces turned back Palestinians who attempted to travel deeper into Egypt — though they did nothing to stem the flow of Egyptian goods making their way to the frontier region to replenish rapidly depleting stocks.

Dozens of Hamas militants dressed in black stood on the Gaza side of the border, in front of the fallen wall, checking people's bags and packages for weapons, drugs and other prohibited items as they re-entered Gaza.

As the presence of Egyptian and Hamas security forces grew, so did the crowds, as Gazans sought to stock up on basic supplies before Egypt made good on its word to reseal the frontier.

By all accounts, this week's breaching of the Gaza-Egypt border has provided a significant popularity boost to Gaza's Hamas rulers, who can claim they successfully broke through the internationally supported Israeli closure that has deprived the coastal strip of normal trade and commerce for nearly two years.

"Hamas has won the strategic battle," said Abu Ali, a 45-year-old Gazan dressed in a business suit, who was on the Egyptian side to buy materials for his construction company.

"Ask anyone here how they reached this place, and they will tell you it was because of Hamas."

Others, however, acknowledged that a temporary border breach did not constitute a solution to Gaza's growing isolation.

"In another day or so the border will be closed again. This is not a practical solution. We want Hamas to get us an official, working border," said 26-year-old Bahij Najar.

Both Egypt and Israel restricted the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza after Hamas won parliament elections in 2006, and further tightened the closure after Hamas seized control of the area by force last June.