Egypt beefs up security on Gaza border, fearing breach attempt

Egyptian authorities have dispatched hundreds of policemen to the border with the Gaza Strip, fearing Palestinian protesters might try to breach it into Sinai, security officials said on Saturday.

One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Egypt has information that hundreds of Palestinians were planning a demonstration demanding that Cairo open its Rafah border crossing with Gaza to normal traffic.

The officials said 400 riot police were deployed in the border region as a precautionary measure.

The Egyptian government has been criticized in the Middle East for limiting the movement through the border crossing during Israel's three-week offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip that ended in a ceasefire on Jan. 18.

About 1,300 Palestinians were killed during the operation, according to Gaza officials. 13 Israelis were also killed in the hostilities.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians stormed the border into Egypt in January 2008, defying an Israeli-led blockade on the coastal enclave, which is ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.