Gazans scramble to Egypt in last-minute supply rush

By Will Rasmussen

RAFAH, Egypt (Reuters) - Cranes lifted camels, cows and motorcycles into the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Friday as thousands of Palestinians scrambled to buy supplies in fear that breaches blown in the border would soon be sealed.

Gazan men heaved sheep and mattresses over a concrete wall at one border point. Young men helped women and the elderly scale the wall to buy food or medicine.

"They said on TV that Egyptian security is going to start kicking people out, so I wanted to come as soon as possible. But I think it's impossible for security to do anything. Are they going to kick thousands of people out?" said Gaza teacher Atta Darwish, 47, as he entered Egypt.

He said he needed to buy blood pressure medicine for his mother as well as car tires.

Camouflaged Egyptian forces in riot gear leaned on plastic shields nearby, taking no action to stop Gazans crossing from the Hamas-controlled coastal strip. Militants blew open the border two days ago to defy a blockade Israel says is aimed at countering rocket fire from Gaza.

At another crossing, Egyptian forces tried to use barbed wire and water cannons to keep the Gazans back, but hundreds poured over after militants flattened parts of a fence there. Security sources said the number of openings would make it hard for Egypt to restore control over the border.

LAST MINUTE RUSH

Some Palestinians, like 19-year-old Mohamed Ali, made a last run to buy supplies unavailable or expensive in Gaza. One Palestinian youth brought a ladder and was offering passers-by a chance to use it, for a fee.