Palestinian security forces sealed off Gaza Strip's southern border early Sunday, officials said. Adnan Barbach, a spokesman for the Palestinian National Security Forces, said all the gaps in the border have been closed, and 2,000 security men are now deployed along the border. According to The AP, he added the Palestinians were working with Egypt to make sure all Gazans in Egypt could return home.
Officers were seen patrolling the border area early Sunday and preventing people from crossing.
However, Jamal Kaed, the Palestinian commander for southern Gaza, said he expected the border to be reopened within 48 hours.
Order along the border broke down last week after Israel completed its withdrawal from Gaza Strip as thousands of Palestinians crossed into Egypt without any border checks. Many people were crossing to reunite with relatives.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government's intentions to construct a buffer zone in the northern Gaza Strip to allegedly thwart Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets would turn the Strip into a large prison, said Dr. Mohammed Al-Hindi, a prominent Islamic Jihad leader.
Hindi said, in statements to journalists Saturday, that the Israeli step fell in line with the "malicious Israeli plans meant to further worsen the Palestinian people's sufferings under the Israeli occupation."
"The Palestinian people won't remain tight-lipped towards such a policy and would resist any step that undermines Palestinian sovereignty," he pointed out.
