RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Egyptian troops closed the last breach in Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, ending 11 days of free movement for Palestinian residents of the blockaded territory, witnesses and Hamas security officials said.
The troops were allowing Gazans and Egyptians to cross the border to return to their homes on the other side but prevented any new cross-border movement, according to witnesses and Hamas security officials in the border town of Rafah. The Hamas officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Israel issued no immediate comment on the closure.
Egyptian soldiers patrolled in armored personnel carriers and stood in sandbagged emplacements on nearby rooftops, and dozens of Gazans looked on as the Egyptians resealed the border.
About 100 Egyptian police formed a human cordon at the border wall's main gate. Dozens of cars and people lined up on either side of the border, some having stocked up on supplies before crossing.
Three Palestinians tried to jump over the border wall to enter Egypt to retrieve some merchandise they had stored there. Hamas security, patrolling the area in cars and on foot, beat them with batons and the backs of their weapons, then fired in the air to disperse the crowd that had gathered to watch.
Hamas militants blew up a section of the Gaza-Egypt border wall Jan. 23 in an attempt to end a seven-month blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel with Egypt's cooperation. The move allowed hundreds of thousands of Gazans to pour into Egypt to stock up on supplies and visit with friends and relatives they hadn't seen for years.
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