Cairo boosts troop presence along border with Gaza following Hamas threat that it would abduct Egyptian soldiers unless its operatives were released from Egyptian custody after being arrested in the Sinai with explosives

Associated Press
Published: 02.08.08, 15:05 / Israel News

Egypt boosted troop security along the volatile border with Gaza on Friday, a security official said, following an alleged threat by Hamas that the group would stage kidnappings of Egyptian troops if its militants arrested in the Sinai were not released.

The remarks came amid stepped-up rhetoric by Egypt against Gaza's Hamas rulers, reflecting Cairo's growing frustration in the wake of the 12-day breach of its frontier with Gaza and the ensuing border chaos.

Snipers were deployed on rooftops in the Egyptian part of the divided border town of Rafah on Friday, while Egyptian forces were told to move only in armed groups of at least three soldiers, the security official said.

The official said the new orders followed a threat by Hamas commanders to abduct Egyptian security personnel if Egypt fails to release 15 Hamas members arrested last week in the Sinai.