Egypt seals Gaza Strip border

Egyptian forces started closing the breached border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday, eyewitnesses said. According to Reuters, Egyptian forces brought barbed wire and metal barricades to the only remaining hole in the Egyptian side of the border which was breached by Hamas men on Jan. 23.

The Egyptian soldiers were allowing Gazans and Egyptians who remained on the other side of the border to cross back, the witnesses and officials said, but had stopped allowing any new cross-border movement. On Saturday, Hamas said it would close the border in cooperation with the Egyptian authorities.

Meanwhile, in talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo last week, Hamas officials proposed a broadening of the ties between the Hamas-ruled Strip and Egypt. During the talks Hamas officials asked that Egypt provide the Strip with the essential supplies it currently receives through Israel. This would include fuel, food, construction materials and a far larger share of its electricity. According to Haaretz, Israeli sources has welcomed the proposal. "This is excellent," the source said. "It is what Israel has desired for years, and it is only good for us."