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Palestinians Seal Gaza”s Southern Border | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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RAFAH, Gaza Strip, AP -Palestinian security forces sealed Gaza”s southern border early Sunday, ending the chaotic flood of people across into Egypt in recent days following Israel”s pullout from the coastal strip, 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 forces are now deployed along the frontier. He said the Palestinians were working with Egypt to make sure all the Gazans can return home.

Thousands of Palestinians crossed freely into Egypt last week with no border controls after Israel completed its withdrawal from Gaza on Monday. Although most people were crossing to go shopping, celebrate, or reunite with relatives, Palestinian officials acknowledged that drugs and weapons were smuggled into Gaza.