Egypt seals last breach in Gaza border

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Egyptian forces sealed the last breach in the border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday, stopping an influx of Palestinians into Egypt across a frontier blown open by Hamas Islamists defying an Israeli-led blockade.

"It is closed. Go home," a militant from Hamas, which was cooperating with Egypt in holding back Palestinians wanting to leave Gaza, told the crowd gathered at the border. Many began to leave the area.

Egyptian forces used barbed wire and metal barricades to seal the only remaining gap on the Egyptian side of the frontier at Rafah, a town straddling the border.

An Egyptian officer said Gazans on the Egyptian side of the frontier and Egyptians visiting the Gaza Strip would be allowed to return home.

Hamas, which took over the Gaza Strip by force in June, had been under pressure from Egypt to stop the flow of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who crossed over since members of the group blew open the border on Jan. 23.

Egyptian security sources estimated there were less than 10,000 Palestinians still in Egypt.

Authorities in El-Arish, in the Sinai peninsula, formally issued Egyptian entry stamps to some 800 Gazans, a step that should enable them to fly on to other countries from the town's airport, Palestinians sources said.

Gazans had flocked to the Egyptian side of Rafah to stock up on goods that were in short supply in the Gaza Strip after Israel tightened border restrictions in a declared bid to pressure Palestinian militants to halt rocket attacks.