Egyptians demand Rafah crossing be opened

Egyptians around the country came out today to denounce the Israeli offensive in Gaza, in the first of a week of protests called for by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

In what has been called “Resistance is the hope of the nation”, protesters turned up on foot, on bicycles, scooters, and formed human chains calling for the Rafah crossing to be opened permanently for emergency cases and for the delivery of food and medical supplies to Gaza, according to Anadolu correspondents and witnesses.

The demonstrators also condemned the increase in prices and the economic situation in Egypt since Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi became president, calling for a popular uprising against him on the anniversary of the Rabaa Al-Adawiya sit-in massacre on August 14 last year.

The participants chanted slogans in protest against Al-Sisi, and raised pictures of Morsi chanting slogans demanding his return to the presidency and held banners saying: “The people want to overthrow the regime”.

In Cairo, protests were held in the morning in a number of neighbourhoods. Participants raised the Palestinian flag next to pictures of Morsi and pictures of “martyrs and prisoners”, calling for a popular uprising against Al-Sisi.

Since the military coup in July 2013, Morsi supporters have held daily demonstrations demanding the overthrow of the regime, protests often end in clashes with security forces, causing deaths and injuries.

On August 14, 2013, security forces broke up a sit-in in support of Morsi in Rabaa Al-Adawiya square, east Cairo, and Al-Nahda Square in Giza, west of the capital, causing the death of hundreds of protesters and injuring thousands more.

On July 7, Israel began an aerial bombardment campaign of the Gaza Strip, this was later expanded to a ground assault in an operation it has called “Protective Edge”. To date some 1,458 Palestinians have been killed, the majority have been women and children, a further 8,000 have been injured, Palestinian medical officials said.

Some 61 Israeli soldiers have also been killed, in addition to two citizens and one Thai national. Approximately 585 people have also been injured most of them suffering from “panic”, according to medical NGO Magen David Adom.

An army statement said 227 soldiers and officers have been wounded since the start of the offensive. The Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the movement Hamas, said it had killed 131 Israeli soldiers and captured another.

And entered the humanitarian calm 72 hours between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli army’s efforts internationalism into force after eight o’clock in the morning of the 26 of aggression.