Published yesterday (updated) 22/08/2009 17:20
Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian border police seized two Gazan boys as they escaped the Strip into Egypt, local security sources said.
The boys, aged 12 and 14, were reportedly spotted by Egyptian border guards as they jumped the iron wall near the Brazili neighborhood in Gaza. Security forces said the boys were from the Rafah neighborhood of As-Salam.
During interrogation the boys revealed miserable living conditions in Rafah on account of the continued Israeli siege on the area. The final straw, they said, was family tension that hit its peak as Ramadan fasting began. They said they only planned to amuse themselves in Egypt for a few days or weeks and then return home.
The boys, as minors, will not be charged, and will be handed back to their families at the Rafah border crossing as soon as possible, according to the security sources.
The boys, aged 12 and 14, were reportedly spotted by Egyptian border guards as they jumped the iron wall near the Brazili neighborhood in Gaza. Security forces said the boys were from the Rafah neighborhood of As-Salam.
During interrogation the boys revealed miserable living conditions in Rafah on account of the continued Israeli siege on the area. The final straw, they said, was family tension that hit its peak as Ramadan fasting began. They said they only planned to amuse themselves in Egypt for a few days or weeks and then return home.
The boys, as minors, will not be charged, and will be handed back to their families at the Rafah border crossing as soon as possible, according to the security sources.
