Egyptians call for end to siege of Gaza

Tens of thousands of protesters have poured into the streets of Alexandria, Egypt, calling for an end to Israel’s three-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Waving Palestinian and Turkish flags and chanting slogans in support of Hamas, about 20,000 protesters also vented their anger at Israel over its deadly attack on the Gaza Flotilla on Monday.

“Hamas, Hamas, you are the artillery and we are the bullets,” demonstrators chanted.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the main organizer of the protests, also staged demonstrations in Fayoum, south of Cairo, and in the northern Sinai Peninsula city of el-Arish on Friday, Reuters reported.

“Turkey, a thousand salutations. Long live Erdogan and long live the Turkish people,” the protestors chanted in Alexandria, referring to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ties between Turkey and Israel have hit an all-time low since the assault.

The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea early on May 31, killing at least 19 people on board the six ships, including eight Turkish citizens, and injuring about 50 others.

Israel also arrested nearly 700 activists from 42 countries on board the Freedom Flotilla, which was attempting to break the siege of Gaza in order to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the territory.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the opening of the Rafah border crossing to allow humanitarian assistance into the impoverished Gaza Strip a day after the attack on the Freedom Flotilla.