RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hamas has begun work on a buffer zone along Gaza’s border with Egypt, the Islamic militant group said Wednesday, as part of an effort to assure Cairo that it’s serious about preventing the cross-border flow of weapons and militants.
Hamas officials hope the creation of the buffer will lead to an easing of the crippling decade-long blockade of the coastal territory.
Earlier this month, Egypt invited a high-ranking Hamas delegation for rare negotiations in Cairo. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said the creation of the 12-kilometer-long (7.5-mile), 100-meter-wide (330-foot) corridor was a result of these talks. It said construction will take about a month. There are no homes in the sandy area.
Egypt has long accused Hamas of fueling unrest in North Sinai, where its army has been battling increasing Islamic insurgency since the toppling of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi after a year in office in 2013. Morsi was a Hamas patron.
Both Egypt and Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza after Hamas ousted forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007 in bloody street battles. Palestinians have been split between the rival groups since then with Hamas ruling Gaza and Abbas governing parts of the West Bank.