Region | Palestinian Territories
Israel threatens to use deadly force against Palestinian protest
Israel threatened to use deadly force should a march by thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip turn into an attempt to surge into Israeli territory.
- Agencies
- Published: 11:25 February 25, 2008
- Image Credit: AP
- Hamas blew open Gaza's southern border wall with Egypt last month, allowing hundreds of thousands of needy Palestinians to cross and buy supplies.
Gaza: Israel threatened to use deadly force on Monday should a planned march by thousands of Palestinians to protest a blockade on the Gaza Strip turn into an attempt to surge across the border into Israeli territory.
Rally organisers said some 40,000 to 50,000 women and children would form a peaceful "human chain" along the fortified frontier and call for an end to Gaza's isolation, intensified after Hamas took charge in June.
Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai said, "I hope that, ultimately, they understand that we are deployed and ready, that this will not be a repeat of what happened in the Philadelphi Corridor (Egypt border) a few weeks back."
He added, "We don't plan to fool around in this regard … we will use measures in the way we deem necessary to prevent people breaking into the state of Israel's territory."
Asked if this could include Israeli forces resorting to live fire, Vinai said: "Anything that must be done, will be done."
Hamas and an allied group organising the rally said it did not intend to storm the border with Israel.
Jamal Al Khudary, chairman of the Popular Anti-Siege Committee, "People will not break across the border, but they will show the world that the siege must be broken."
Hamas blew open Gaza's southern border wall with Egypt last month, allowing hundreds of thousands of needy Palestinians to cross and buy supplies.
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