Hamas threatens to storm Egyptian and Israeli borders

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The ruling extremist group Hamas threatened yesterday to storm the Egyptian and Israeli borders if the two countries did not lift their blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The threat, made by senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya, came two months after Hamas blew open the Egyptian border to relieve the international blockade of Gaza, allowing thousands of Palestinians to leave Gaza.

"The situation is no longer bearable," Haya said at a news conference. "All options are open to breach this border. Not only the Egyptian border, but other borders as well," he said, in a clear reference to Israel.

Israel and Egypt sealed their borders with the coastal strip, home to 1.4 million Gazans, after Hamas violently seized control of Gaza in June. Few people or goods are allowed in and out of the strip, causing economic hardship and widespread shortages of basic goods, fuel and electricity.

Israel has said it will ease the blockade only if Hamas halts rocket fire and other attacks on Israeli targets. Egypt refuses to recognize Hamas' rule and has said it can open the border only as part of an international agreement.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said yesterday that Hamas was responsible for all the misery and hardship in Gaza, and "Hamas will, when the time comes, suffer the consequences."

Israeli troops frequently battle Hamas fighters in Gaza. More than 120 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, were killed in an Israeli offensive that ended last month. Since then, fighting has dropped sharply, though clashes have persisted.

In violence yesterday, a Palestinian man was killed in fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters in Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said. They said he appeared to be an extremist, though he was not immediately identified.

The Israeli army said that gunmen opened fire at troops in Gaza and that the soldiers fired back, hitting some of the gunmen. Hamas confirmed that gunmen fired nine mortars at Israeli forces.

While battling Hamas, Israel has been trying to reach a peace agreement with the rival Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate who rules from the West Bank.

Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have set a December target for wrapping up a peace agreement. But at a meeting Monday, their first in nearly two months, they exchanged accusations that each was not living up to his obligations under a U.S.-backed peace plan.