- 14 nov 2011
Update: Egypt detains 2 from group accused of Eilat attack
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Monday detained two members of a militant Islamist group in Sinai, a day after arresting the movement's leader, security officials told Ma'an.
Security forces detained Abdul Kareem Mohammad Ahmad, 42, and Ahmad Salem Mahmoud Awad, 33, in El-Arish, a town in north Sinai.
They are members of the Jihadists and Takfiris movement, whose leader Muhammad Eid Musleh Hamad -- also known as Muhammad al-Teehi -- was detained on Sunday, Egyptian officials said.
Security officials told Ma'an that Egyptian police were sweeping the Sinai Peninsula to arrest militants, adding that the detainees have been sent to Cairo for interrogation.
Al-Teehi is accused of planning a deadly attack in southern Israel in August which killed eight Israelis, as well as a number of attacks in the Sinai Desert, a Ma'an correspondent reported.
Israel blamed the attack in Eilat on the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees and struck back at southern Gaza within hours killing five PRC militants and a two-year-old child. The strike sparked four days of intense cross border violence that killed 15 Palestinians and wounded dozens more.
The Jihadists and Takfiris movement is also suspected of involvement in a series of pipeline bombings in Sinai which have cut off the supply of gas to Jordan and Israel several times this year, the official MENA agency reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436662
Update: Egypt detains Sinai leader accused of Eilat attacks
EL-ARISH (Ma’an) -- Egyptian authorities detained the leader of a militant Islamist movement in the Sinai peninsula on Sunday morning, security sources told Ma'an.
Muhammad Eid Musleh Hamad, also known as Muhammad al-Teehi, is accused of planning the deadly attacks in Israeli border city Eilat in August, as well as a number of attacks in the Egyptian peninsula, a Ma'an correspondent reported.
Al-Teehi was detained in northern Sinai city El-Arish after a joint police and army operation, Egyptian security officials said.
He was found hiding in a tourist chalet in the town, and surrendered without resistance, before being moved to Cairo to face charges, they added.
Egyptian authorities said al-Teehi is leader of the "Jihadists and Takfiris" movement, founded after the January revolution which ousted former leader Hosni Mubarak.
Authorities say he masterminded attacks on police stations in the city and has topped a government "wanted" list, official news agency MENA said.
A Ma'an correspondent in El-Arish said that Egyptian authorities had also accused Hamad of being involved in planning the Aug. 18 assault on number of Israeli vehicles near Eilat, which killed eight Israelis.
Israel said it shot dead six gunmen and blamed the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees, who denied any involvement.
Within hours of the attack, Israeli forces struck back at targets in southern Gaza, leading to four days of cross border violence that killed 15 Palestinians, and wounded more than 50.
In September, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that an unreleased army investigation revealed the Eilat attacks were carried out by a group of Egyptians operating in Sinai.
Egyptian security told Ma'an al-Teehi's "Jihadists and Takfiris" movement follows Al-Qaeda intellectually and demands an end to any military or foreign presence in the Sinai peninsula.
The region has been rocked by a series of attacks on pipelines delivering gas to Israel and Jordan, most recently on Thursday when remote-controlled bombs shut down a line in Mazar, west of El-Arish.
Egyptian forces launched a security sweep in August to root out suspected Islamist gangs and, according to security sources at the time, captured four Islamist militants as they prepared to blow up a pipeline in El-Arish.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436274
4 mar 2012, 21:40 , Respect -
Maria 15 nov 2011
Egypt arrests another suspected Islamist operative
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian security forces have detained a member of a militant Islamist group in the Sinai, bring to five the number of arrests since the group's alleged leader was caught Sunday.
Walid Suleiman Mousa, 38, from the town of el-Arish, was arrested on his way back from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
He was arrested after four suspects, who were detained earlier, mentioned his name to Egyptian authorities, security officials told Ma'an on Tuesday. Mousa is well-known in the el-Arish area, residents say.
Security sources say they have evidence he was involved in recent operations.
Egyptian authorities on Monday detained two alleged members of the same group. Abdul Kareem Mohammad Ahmad, 42, and Ahmad Salem Mahmoud Awad, 33, are also from el-Arish.
They are said to be member of the Jihadists and Takfiris movement, whose leader Muhammad Eid Musleh Hamad -- also known as Muhammad al-Teehi -- was detained on Sunday, Egyptian officials said.
Security officials told Ma'an that Egyptian police were sweeping the Sinai Peninsula to arrest militants, adding that the detainees have been sent to Cairo for interrogation.
Al-Teehi is accused of planning an attack in southern Israel in August which killed eight Israelis, as well as a number of attacks in the Sinai Desert, a Ma'an correspondent reported earlier.
Israel blamed the attack in Eilat on the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees and struck southern Gaza within hours killing five PRC militants and a two-year-old child. The strike sparked four days of intense cross border violence that killed 15 Palestinians and wounded dozens more.
In September, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that an unreleased army investigation revealed the Eilat attacks were carried out by a group of Egyptians operating in Sinai.
The Jihadists and Takfiris movement is also suspected of involvement in a series of pipeline bombings in Sinai which have cut off the supply of gas to Jordan and Israel, the official MENA agency reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436861
Egypt detains 2 from group accused of Eilat attack
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Monday detained two members of a militant Islamist group in Sinai, a day after arresting the movement's leader, security officials told Ma'an.
Security forces detained Abdul Kareem Mohammad Ahmad, 42, and Ahmad Salem Mahmoud Awad, 33, in El-Arish, a town in north Sinai.
They are members of the Jihadists and Takfiris movement, whose leader Muhammad Eid Musleh Hamad -- also known as Muhammad al-Teehi -- was detained on Sunday, Egyptian officials said.
Security officials told Ma'an that Egyptian police were sweeping the Sinai Peninsula to arrest militants, adding that the detainees have been sent to Cairo for interrogation.
Al-Teehi is accused of planning a deadly attack in southern Israel in August which killed eight Israelis, as well as a number of attacks in the Sinai Desert, a Ma'an correspondent reported.
Israel blamed the attack in Eilat on the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees and struck back at southern Gaza within hours killing five PRC militants and a two-year-old child. The strike sparked four days of intense cross border violence that killed 15 Palestinians and wounded dozens more.
The Jihadists and Takfiris movement is also suspected of involvement in a series of pipeline bombings in Sinai which have cut off the supply of gas to Jordan and Israel several times this year, the official MENA agency reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436662
4 mar 2012, 21:40 , Respect -
Maria 17 nov 2011
Egypt's military council allows anti-Israel mega march on Friday
CAIRO, (PIC)-- The military council in Egypt agreed to allow a mega march on Friday under the auspices of grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mosque Ahmed Attayeb against Israel's Judaization of occupied Jerusalem, according to confirmed information obtained by the Palestinian information center (PIC).
A committee for the support of Jerusalem was also formed by Sheikh Attayeb to study projects serving the holy city in cooperation with research, political and educational institutions.
An informed source from Al-Azhar Mosque told the PIC that Sheikh Attayeb instructed this committee to work on different levels to serve Jerusalem and address the Zionist schemes against it.
The source added that Sheikh Attayeb recommended the committee to work on drafting a paper on Jerusalem to be agreed upon by Egyptians across the spectrum, including Muslims, Copts, trade unions and political groups.
Among the responsibilities assigned to this committee is the establishment of a cultural center aimed at exposing the Zionist schemes in Jerusalem.
The source noted that Sheikh Attayeb started recently to contact Islamic and Arab leaders to rally a unified position against Israel's escalating Judaization moves in the holy city.
http://fwd4.me/0gyy
4 mar 2012, 21:40 , Respect -
Maria 20 nov 2011
Several events to be held in Cairo in support of O. Jerusalem
CAIRO, (PIC)-- The Egyptian-Palestinian popular campaign said on Saturday that it would organize several events, including a mega march, in support of the occupied city of Jerusalem as of Sunday.
The organizers of this campaign met last Tuesday with grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mosque Ahmed Attayeb and discussed with him the steps to be taken to support the occupied people of Palestine and confront Israel's violations against them.
This campaign involves a number of Egyptian religious, national and political figures who intend to organize a massive march in support of Jerusalem next Friday.
A news conference will be held on Sunday at the doctors' union in Cairo during which the organizers of the campaign will invite the Egyptian people to participate actively in next Friday's rally.
http://fwd4.me/0h8y
4 mar 2012, 21:41 , Respect -
Maria 24 nov 2011
Egyptian intelligence officer killed in Sinai
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Unknown assailants shot and killed an Egyptian intelligence officer Thursday in the Sinai, officials said.
The officer, a captain in Egypt's military intelligence in el-Arish, was shot dead while driving through al-Qantara near the Suez Canal.
The assailants stole the officer's weapons and car, security officials said. His body was found about 500 meters from the canal.
Overnight, two Egyptian soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with smugglers near the border with Israel, an Israeli army spokeswoman said Thursday.
The desert border between Israel and Egypt runs for 240 kilometers. It is frequented by Bedouin tribesmen who run arms, cigarettes, and drugs smuggling rackets across the porous border.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=439203
4 mar 2012, 21:41 , Respect -
Maria 25 nov 2011
Report: Saboteurs blow up Egypt gas pipeline
CAIRO (Reuters) -- Saboteurs blew up a gas pipeline 60 km west of the Egyptian town of al-Arish in northern Sinai on Friday, the latest in series of attacks, state news agency MENA reported.
The blast caused little damage and did not start a fire because little gas was flowing through the pipeline at the time due to repair work from a previous attack, MENA said.
The pipeline, which supplies gas to Israel and Jordan, was last attacked on Nov. 10. The latest was the seventh since the revolt that ousted President Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11, although the pipeline was first attacked a few days earlier.
No group has claimed responsibility for the sabotage.
Egypt has a 20-year deal to export natural gas deal to Israel. It is unpopular with the Egyptian public and critics say Israel does not pay market rates for the gas.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=439367
4 mar 2012, 21:47 , Respect -
Maria 28 nov 2011
Saboteurs blow up Egypt's pipeline to Jordan, Israel
(1:02) Raw Video: Attackers Blow Up Gas Pipeline
CAIRO (Reuters) -- Saboteurs blew up Egypt's gas pipeline to Jordan and Israel on Monday, witnesses and security sources said, a few hours before the country holds its first free election since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February.
The explosion struck the pipline west of el-Arish in the Sinai, witnesses said. There was a second consecutive blast, about 100 metres away, sources said.
State news agency MENA said the explosion was in al-Sabeel area. Security forces and fire trucks raced to the scene.
Security sources said the explosions were detonated from a distance and that tracks from two vehicles were found in the area. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The pipeline, which supplies gas to Jordan and Israel, was last attacked on Nov. 25. It is the eighth such attack since Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11. It is the ninth this year, with the first attack a few days before Mubarak was toppled.
Egypt's 20-year gas deal with Israel, signed in the Mubarak era, is unpopular with the Egyptian public, with critics arguing that Israel does not pay enough for the gas.
An executive of the East Mediterranean Gas Co, which exports Egyptian gas to Israel, said in July that international shareholders in the firm were pursuing legal claims against Egypt for $8 billion in damages from contract violations in gas supplies, following disruptions caused by pipeline attacks.
Egypt doubled the price of gas exported to Jordan last month. Petroleum Minister Abdullah Ghorab said the new price was just above $5 per million BTU, up from $2.15 to $2.30.
The government said this month it would tighten security measures along the pipeline by installing alarm devices and recruiting security patrols from Bedouin tribesmen.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=439984
4 mar 2012, 21:47 , Respect -
Maria 29 nov 2011
Egypt hails election as successful 'democracy test'
CAIRO (AFP) -- Egypt's first post-revolution election entered its second day on Tuesday amid pride and triumphalism over the high turn-out and the orderly start to the country's complex transition to democracy.
"The birth of the new Egypt," declared the state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper on Tuesday, hailing the "huge turnout, free voting in a secure atmosphere".
"The people have passed the democracy test," headlined the independent daily newspaper al-Shorouk on Tuesday. "On the road to democracy," said English-language Egyptian Mail.
Egyptians in Cairo and the port city Alexandria waited in long queues on Monday to cast ballots for a new parliament -- the start of multi-stage elections that are the first since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in February.
On Tuesday, polls opened again, but the volume of people was a trickle rather than the deluge seen the day before.
"I decided to come today to avoid the crowds," 30-year-old Rafik told AFP in the Heliopolis area of Cairo. "It was important for me to vote because I feel it's the first time that my opinion is taken into account."
The formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood, a moderate Islamist group, is widely expected to emerge as the largest power, but without an outright majority, when results for the election are published on January 13.
The backdrop to the vote was ominous after a week of protests calling for the resignation of the interim military rulers who stepped in at the end of Mubarak's 30-year rule. Forty-two were killed and more than 3,000 injured.
The largely successful first day will be seen by the interim military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi as vindicating his insistence that voting should go ahead on schedule despite calls for a delay.
Protesters had again occupied Tahrir Square in Cairo, the epicenter of protests against Mubarak, but this time they called for the resignation of Tantawi and his fellow generals.
The demonstrations stemmed from fears that the junta, initially welcomed as a source of stability in the days after Mubarak's fall, was looking to consolidate its power and was mishandling the transition period.
The only complaints reported by activists on Monday were administrative glitches which delayed the opening of some voting centers and minor violations of electoral law that saw campaigning at some poll booths.
Monday "might very well be seen as a positive step in Egypt's transition," wrote political commentator Issandr El-Amrani, referring to the "public buy-in" to democracy and "a symbolic shift" from the army to parliament.
He warned, however, about the "incompetent" organization of the election process, which could lead to frustration and violence, as well as the myriad of uncertainties surrounding the army's role and the transition process.
Voting for the lower house of parliament takes place in three stages starting in Cairo, Alexandria and other areas. The rest of the country votes in December and in January.
Each stage will be followed by a run-off vote a week later.
Once results are published on January 13, the country will then head into another three rounds of voting to elect an upper house in a process widely criticized for its complexity.
Much also remains unclear about how the new parliament will function and whether it will be able to resolve a standoff with the armed forces over how much power they will retain under a new constitution to be written next year.
Ziad Bahaeddine, a columnist with the independent daily al-Shorouk, said that Egyptians still needed to continue demonstrating peacefully to keep pressure on the army to hand over power to civilian leaders.
"Why are we participating in elections taking place in these circumstances... to elect a parliament that will not have full powers according to the military rulers and whose term is unknown?" Bahaeddine wrote.
As well as the Muslim Brotherhood, hard-line Islamists, secular parties and groups representing the interests of the former Mubarak regime are all expected to win seats, raising the prospect of a highly fragmented new parliament.
The stakes are high for Egypt, the cultural leader of the Arab world -- and the conduct and results of the election will have repercussions for the entire Middle East at a time of wrenching change caused by the Arab Spring.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=440410
4 mar 2012, 21:47 , Respect -
Maria 2 dec 2011
Egyptian Embassy To Reopen Its Gaza Office
An Egyptian source reported Thursday that the Egyptian Embassy in Gaza will be reopened in the near future, following the implementation of the Palestinian Unity Agreement, and due to what was described as the current calm in the situation in Cairo.
Talking to the Pal-Today, a Palestinian online daily, the official, who was not named in the report, stated that reopening the embassy in Gaza will ease the suffering of the Gazans who need to travel, and added that Egypt will gradually end the file of Palestinians who are not allowed to enter the country.
The file in question was made by the previous leadership of the Egyptian Security Forces that operated under the rule of the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, who was removed from his post by the Egyptian revolution in February of this year.
The official further stated that special treatment will be granted to patients and other urgent cases.
“We are granting hope to the people of Gaza,” the official said. “People will be able to travel without restrictions on a number of travels.”
http://www.imemc.org/article/62596
4 mar 2012, 21:48 , Respect -
Maria 3 dec 2011
Israel: Egypt has 'no alternative' but to keep peace
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel voiced deep concern on Saturday at the electoral rise of Islamism in Egypt but urged the Arab power to consider it had "no alternative" to maintaining its peace accord with Israel.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which had been curbed under former President Hosni Mubarak's US-backed regime, expects to win the most seats in the new assembly after this week's first round of voting, with ultra-conservative Salafis the likely runner-up.
"This is very, very worrisome. It is too early to predict how the changes that we face will end up. It could be that in an historical context, they are positive. In an immediate context they are problematic," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.
"I very much hope that, whatever government arises in Egypt, with whatever constitution arises in Egypt, it will understand that ... there is no alternative but to maintain the framework of international agreements, among them the peace accord with us," he told Israel's top-rated Channel Two television.
Barak said this framework helps "keep the Egyptian economy going, to keep up their ability to provide basic services to their citizens."
Egypt was the first Arab country to recognize Israel, with a 1978 treaty that secured Cairo billions in annual US aid and regained it control of the Israeli-occupied Sinai.
Sinai, which is demilitarized under the peace deal, has in recent years worried Israel as a gun-running conduit to Palestinian militants in the neighboring Gaza Strip. Security has frayed there further since Mubarak's fall in February.
Gaza is governed by Hamas Islamists who have ideological kinship with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and refuse permanent coexistence with Israel.
Barak expressed hope Egyptian authorities "will also make themselves available to seriously tackle the Sinai situation."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=441638
Muslim Brotherhood claims Egypt elections
Islamist bloc says won first round of Cairo elections despite no official announcement. Egypt's Military Council said to be vexed by Islamists' victory.
The Muslim Brotherhood claimed the first round in the Egyptian parliamentary elections Saturday, after polls said it has won 40% of the votes. The official results of the elections are still pending.
The elections – Egypt's first free vote in six decades – have seen a record turnout. According to Egyptian media, the Muslim Brotherhood has so far won 40% of the votes, the radical Salafi al-Nour party has won 20% of the votes, the liberal bloc has 15% of the votes, and the rest of the votes were split between the smaller Left-wing parties.
Cairo's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces was reportedly "vexed and concerned" by the apparent Islamist victory.
The London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Hayat reported Saturday that Egypt's Military Council was very displeased with polls suggesting that the radical Islamist parties have the majority vote in the first round, and was concerned of a similar achievement in the second and third rounds of the elections.
'Rivals should accept the results'
The final results are still pending, but Egyptian and Arab media predict that the Islamist bloc has noted a significant electoral achievements in the direct preliminary elections as well, giving it control of another third of the House.
Should the polls be accurate, the numbers represent a landslide victory for the radical parties in Egypt, and a crushing blow for the moderate Left in Cairo.
In a statement issued on Saturday afternoon, the Muslim Brotherhood called on its rivals to "accept the will of the people": "We call upon everyone, and all those who associate themselves with democracy, to respect the will of the people and accept their choice. Those who weren't successful ... should work hard to serve people to win their support next time," the Brotherhood added.
The Brotherhood also thanked their supporters: "We thank… the Egyptian people for the civilized way they lined up for hours to cast their votes and choose their parliamentary representatives. "Today, we thank you again for your trust, and let you know we feel how heavy our responsibility is. God willing, we will be up to it and be able to serve our people and country."
"While the Military Council will accept the results, as they represent the people's wishes, they are a great cause for concern," Egyptian sources told the London publication.
The radical parties' possible victory will "make it hard for the military to wage a 'civil campaign' against the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi al-Nour after the elections, when it comes to the constitution.
"The reason for the Islamists' in the first round is the weakness among the liberals. They are too divided and they were too busy fighting the Military Council to understand that it isn’t the real problem," the newspaper ventured.
Deputy Hamas Politburo Chief, Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk was confident Saturday that the success of the Islamist parties in Egypt's elections would benefit the Palestinian issue.
"I believe that the Egyptian people will place their faith in their chosen delegates and that the Egyptian people would continue to stand by the Palestinian people as they have throughout history," he said.
http://fwd4.me/0hxP
4 mar 2012, 21:48 , Respect -
Maria 6 dec 2011
Israelis in panic after Egypt's Islamists won first round of election
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- As the results of the first round of the Egyptian parliamentary election started to unfold and show the progress of Islamists, a state of anxiety and fear started to prevail among Israeli leaders and political analysts.
Different Israeli officials voiced their fear of seeing Islamic groups win Egypt's parliamentary election after the initial results came against their expectations.
Israeli middle east expert David Bucky warned in an interview with Israel's channel 7 of the accession of Islamists to power in Egypt.
"The ascension of Islamists in Egypt to power means an end to the peace treaty with Israel and also means the emergence of a committed government with an Islamic ideology that aims at the destruction of Israel," Bucky told the channel.
"When you give a Muslim the freedom to vote in free and fair elections, he certainly will choose Islamic leaders because he knows well that the Muslim brotherhood will solve the problems of Egypt," he added.
"If the Islamists exist in a certain area, they extend in that area very quickly, the specialist in middle east affairs expressed his belief, condemning the western countries for helping the Muslim brotherhood and what he sees as Al-Qaeda members to achieve a victory in Libya, Tunisia and other countries.
"They are two controlling forces in the Arab world, the Islamic groups and the official dictators, and in the interest of the western countries is to side with the dictators," he stated.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, for its part, quoted an Israeli official from the foreign ministry as saying that Egypt's election results were more serious than their expectations.
"The results indicate that an extremist trend is prevailing throughout the middle east and this was an extension to the elections in Tunisia and Morocco," the official told the newspaper.
For his part, Israeli war minister Ehud Barak told channel 2 that the Islamization of Arab countries, as he described, is very disturbing to Israel, but he added that it would be premature to say how such changes would affect the region.
Maariv newspaper also quoted a government official as saying that if the Muslim brotherhood united with the Salafists, they both would have 60 percent of the parliamentary seats so far, and then the situation would be difficult and dangerous to Israel as Egypt would become a religious state and would thus work against it.
http://fwd4.me/0iA1
4 mar 2012, 21:48 , Respect -
Maria 9 dec 2011
Officials: 7 Palestinians arrested in Sinai
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian authorities have detained seven Palestinians who entered the Sinai desert through smuggling tunnels along Egypt's border with the southern Gaza Strip, officials said Friday.
Security sources say the Palestinians were detained in a sting operation throughout the el-Arish area.
The intruders, who were not identified, could not cross over the Rafah crossing due to unspecified complications on both sides, the officials said. The detainees were not suspected of security offenses.
The seven arrests came after UN officials said Egypt appeared to have loosened monitoring of the border, citing recent economic figures that reflect a "booming" economy in the tunnel trade.
The economy in the blockaded Gaza Strip is improving thanks to policy changes following the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak in February, according to the study, which was released Thursday.
UNRWA, the Palestine refugees agency which authored the report, describes an upsurge in private employment, new imports and construction following the fall of the Mubarak regime.
Although the unemployment rate remains high, construction jobs have grown by more than 9,400, increasing by 3.5 times compared to the first half of 2010, the report says.
Gaza’s unemployment rate is still among the most severe in the world. A key factor, according to UN officials, is the inability of manufacturers to export their products to market.
Israel controls all major crossings into and out of the coastal enclave. Although Egypt's Rafah crossing is primarily designed for pedestrians, even the passage of people remains restricted.
Israel and Egypt began implementing a blockade in 2006 following parliamentary elections won by Hamas as well as the capture of an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid into southern Israel.
The siege has gradually been relaxed in recent years, but prohibitions on many imports and exports have decimated the Gaza economy and exasperated services for its aid-dependent refugee population.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=443526
4 mar 2012, 21:48 , Respect -
Maria 14 dec 2011
Egypt deports 17 Palestinians
RAFAH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Wednesday deported 17 Palestinians who were in the country illegally, Egyptian security sources said.
Security officials at the Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza told Ma'an that 17 Palestinians were detained on the road to Cairo and sent back to Gaza.
In some cases, the migrants' visas had expired while others had entered Egypt through underground tunnels, the officials said.
Some Palestinians try to enter Egypt through tunnels due to strict security rules and delays at the Rafah border terminal.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=444816
4 mar 2012, 21:48 , Respect -
Maria 22 dec 2011
Sinai police rescue child, arrest kidnap suspects
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Sinai police and military forces on Wednesday arrested three suspected kidnappers and recovered a 10-year-old who was reported missing after leaving school nearly two weeks earlier.
Mahmoud Siraj was returned to his home late Wednesday after police completed a 12-day investigation to find the child, who disappeared shortly after leaving school in El-Arish.
The child was found with the suspects in a mountainous area in central Sinai, police said.
Siraj was returned following protests that began after his kidnapping and that of another contractor. Protesters marched through the streets condemning the kidnapping by armed groups who blackmail families of hostages.
According to police, the suspects confessed to their involvement. They were not identified.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=447060
4 mar 2012, 21:48 , Respect -
Maria 26 dec 2011
Egypt indicts Israelis, Ukrainian for smuggling gun
CAIRO (Reuters) -- Egypt has indicted two Israelis and a Ukrainian for smuggling a machine gun and ammunition across the Israeli border into Egypt, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported on its website on Monday.
The weapon was the sort used by police on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, "which indicates that it could be used for illegal operations that could be pinned on Egyptian security personnel," the newspaper reported.
Egypt's border region with Israel, which has long been a conduit for the smuggling of guns and people, has been hit by a number of gas pipeline explosions and cross-border attacks over the past year.
Al-Ahram said the Ukrainian, manager of a tourism company in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, had ordered the weapon from an Israeli, Mamoun al-Alimi.
Another Israeli, Maaz Zuhair Zahlaqa, who lived in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, brought the weapon into Egypt at the border at Taba in a wooden crate shaped like a cross.
The machinegun and ammunition were discovered when the crate was placed on an explosives detection machine, the newspaper said.
The Ukrainian and Zahlaqa were in custody while Alimi was still in Israel, it said.
In June, Egypt arrested an American-Israeli on suspicion he was trying to recruit agents and monitor events in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, an ally of Israel and the United States. He was later released in a swap for 25 Egyptians being held in Israel.
Egyptian officials say limits on troop numbers in Sinai under a 1979 peace treaty with Israel make it harder to secure the mountainous region
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=448062