Fears al-Qaida will slip across Gaza-Egypt border
Palestinians and Egyptians have been crossing there largely unfettered since Israel withdrew from the area four days ago.
In a deal worked out with Israel, Egypt is supposed to deploy 750 troops to secure the frontier and prevent weapons smuggling, but neither they nor Palestinian police have been able to halt the flow of people and arms, including hundreds of assault rifles and pistols.
Israel fears international terrorists will exploit the chaotic border to infiltrate Gaza and Israel.
Foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said: “We’re talking about Iran, we’re talking elements in Syria, we’re talking about groups like Hezbollah and we’re talking also about international terrorist groups like al-Qaida.” Israel has long accused Iran and Syria of sponsoring militans.
Rafiq Husseini, the top aide to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, said: “We are even more worried than Israel about al-Qaida coming here because al-Qaida will harm us more than Israel.”
Its presence, he said, would hurt prospects for peace and renewed negotiations with Israel.
“The Palestinian Authority security apparatus will arrest any suspected al-Qaida members or other terrorist groups if they infiltrate Gaza,” he said.
Al-Qaida has been active in northern Egypt but there has been no indication they’ve infiltrated Gaza, which until this week has been tightly sealed.
Its operatives are prime suspects in a triple bombing that killed 64 people in July at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik. That came 10 months after bombings at two other resorts near the Israeli border killed more than 30 people.
Senior Israeli military officials said they feared al-Qaida operatives could enter Gaza from Sinai and connect with local Hamas militants to share expertise and provide weapons.
Mr Regev and other officials said Israel fears militants will leave Gaza and enter Israel through the Egypt-Israeli border in the Sinai Desert, an unfenced frontier. The Egypt-Israel border has long been a favourite crossing point for drug runners, illegal workers and prostitutes.
Israel’s border patrol yesterday arrested 20 Gazans trying to get into Israel through Sinai, according to Israeli media reports.
One Palestinian official rejected the Israeli accusations of terrorist infiltration, calling them “ridiculous” and “a complete lie.”
Tawfiq Abu Khoussa said: “Israel withdrew from the border without co-ordination and Israel shoulders the responsibility for the actions that took place on the border.”
He said Palestinian and Egyptian forces would restore order at the frontier. He added Gazans would not tolerate an al-Qaida presence in their midst.
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