Gazans stream over Egyptian border

By Will Rasmussen

RAFAH, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian troops stood by and let thousands of Palestinians stream out of Gaza on Saturday after failing to seal breaches blown in the border by Hamas militants defying an Israeli blockade.

The Islamist group said it was ready for direct talks with Cairo to end the border chaos, a move that appeared aimed at ensuring Hamas kept control and sidelining rival President Mahmoud Abbas's plan to put his forces there.

In a sign that Egyptian patience could be wearing thin with the Palestinians, Cairo warned them not to provoke security forces and said at least 38 security men had been wounded since the border was forced open on Wednesday.

Gaza-registered cars and trucks ferried food and fuel back from Egypt to evade the blockade Israel said it imposed to counter rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled strip.

Egyptian forces had pulled back from the border after a failed attempt on Friday to start sealing border breaches, and security sources said they were ordered to avoid confrontations.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Egypt was concerned by "provocations from Palestinian groups" against its forces. He said the wounded included two high-ranking officers and some of those hurt were in a critical condition.

"The Palestinian brothers should be aware that the Egyptian willingness to host them and make their lives easier cannot extend to threatening the lives of Egyptian forces," he said in remarks carried by state news agency MENA.

It was Egypt's strongest criticism of the Palestinians since the border was breached. Aboul Gheit said Egypt would invite both Hamas and Abbas's government for talks on the border.

Egypt has turned back roughly 2,000 Palestinians trying to leave the Sinai peninsula for Cairo or other towns in the Nile Valley in the past two days, and roughly 35 Palestinians were arrested in central Egypt, security sources said.

Witnesses reported that 25 to 30 armored truckloads of Egyptian security men headed to Rafah from the nearby town of el-Arish on Saturday evening. They would join small numbers of troops who returned to observe the border earlier in the day.

EGYPT CAUGHT

Egypt does not want to be seen as aiding the Israeli blockade, but is under U.S. and Israeli pressure to take control. It also fears the spread of Islamist influence and the effects of hosting so many Palestinians without identity papers.

Security forces trying to stem the flow of Palestinians from border areas shut main roads in the north Sinai town of el-Arish, and hoteliers said they had been given instructions not to take in Palestinian travelers. Most el-Arish storefronts were shuttered although trading continued in the streets.

The fall of the wall was a setback to a U.S.-backed campaign to curb Hamas's clout and boost President Abbas nearly eight months after the group routed Abbas's Fatah forces in Gaza.

Palestinian officials said Abbas had a plan to end the blockade of Gaza and would urge Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to accept his offer to control Gaza crossings if the two men met as expected on Sunday.