Residents of Gaza enter Egypt after destruction of border wall

January 23, 2008 Thousands of Palestinians entered the Egyptian territory from the Gaza Strip, after the border wall at the Rafah passage was destroyed. Palestinians say that this was to allow them to get food and fuel.

The Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak announced that his government allowed residents of Gaza to enter Egypt, on the condition that it is peaceful and temporary.

Witnesses reported that a large amount of the wall was destroyed by masked activists with explosives in the early hours of Wednesday, allowing overcrowded trucks of thousands of Palestinians, in the presence of about 2,000 Egyptian soldiers, to cross the border.

On Tuesday during the UN Security Council meeting, a delegation of Palestinians accused Israel of promoting violence in the area, while Israelis responded by saying that the measures were designed to protect themselves from missile attacks being launched from Gaza.

Although Israel reduced the restrictions of the blockade, they warned that the restrictions could be reinstated if the missile attacks persist.

Representatives from both Europe and America demanded the lifting of the blockade and the commitment of both sides to work towards an end to the conflict.