Egypt troops pull back, Gazans flood over border

Egyptian troops stood by and let thousands of Palestinians stream out of Gaza yesterday a day after failing to seal breaches blown in the border by militants defying an Israeli blockade.

But in a sign that Egyptian patience could be wearing thin, the Government warned Palestinians 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 Islamist-controlled strip.

Security sources said Egyptian forces had been ordered to pull back from the border overnight and avoid confrontation. A handful of guards in armoured vehicles trickled back yesterday to monitor the border flow without taking any action.

But 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.

Egyptian forces tried to seal some breaches on Friday, but militants bulldozed a new opening.

Egypt does not want to be seen as aiding the Israeli blockade, but is under US 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.

The fall of the wall was a setback to a US-backed campaign to curb Hamas's clout and boost Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas nearly eight months after the Islamist 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 today.

But Israeli officials said Olmert rejected the idea and Hamas has said it will prevent such a move unless it has a say in any future agreements regarding on the border crossings.

One security source said Egyptian forces were told yesterday to allow the border to stay open for three more days. Others said no time limit had been set.