Gaza-Egypt border opens after being overrun

PALESTINIAN policemen angry over the killing of a fellow officer stormed the Gaza-Egypt border crossing yesterday, firing in the air and forcing European monitors to flee and close the terminal for several hours, Palestinian and European officials said.

About 100 policemen entered the compound in the southern town of Rafah early yesterday and took up positions alongside border patrol officers at the customs section of the crossing, Palestinian security officials and witnesses said.

The unarmed European observers - responsible for monitoring the crossing and enforcing the terms of an Israeli-Palestinian agreement that opened the border last month - then left and took refuge in a nearby Israeli military base. The police withdrew quietly after about three hours, enabling Palestinian security personnel to retake control.

Late in the afternoon, the monitors reopened the border. After the announcement, travellers quickly returned to the area and border traffic was moving smoothly.

The policemen who stormed the border crossing were angry over the killing of an officer on Thursday in a family feud in Gaza.

The Rafah terminal was opened last month under an agreement personally negotiated by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The deal opened an important lifeline for the embattled Gaza economy and gave the Palestinians control of a border for the first time.

Israel had closed the border shortly before withdrawing from Gaza in September, citing security concerns. The presence of the EU monitors is meant to address those concerns.

The incident was the latest in a rash of kidnappings and armed takeovers of government buildings in Gaza, underscoring Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ inability to control the chaotic area since Israel’s withdrawal in September.

In a further sign of unrest, the whereabouts of a British aid worker and her parents remained unknown, two days after they were kidnapped by armed gunmen in Rafah.

At a news conference, Gaza’s police chief, Ala Housni, threatened to use force to gain the family’s release. Mr Housni said the kidnappers had not contacted authorities or made any demands.

Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa said authorities had received a tip about the kidnappers and were searching for a white Mazda believed to have been used in the abduction.

There have been a string of kidnappings of foreign aid workers and journalists in Gaza in recent months, with gunmen usually demanding jobs, the release of relatives from prison or other favours from the government. The hostages have been released unharmed.

Mr Abbas’ critics have accused him of giving in to kidnappers’ demands, encouraging more abductions.

The aid worker has been identified as Kate Burton, 25. Her father Hugh, a retired official with the European Union, and mother Helen, were visiting her on vacation when they were kidnapped, officials said.