Young Egyptians cross into Gaza to join jihad

Intifada: Daily attempts to evade Israeli border guards.

Young Egyptians are making daily attempts to cross the border into the occupied territory of Gaza to fight alongside the Palestinians against Israel.

According to guards on the strongly fortified crossing at Rafah, one or two Egyptians in their teens or early 20s are arrested every day trying to cross into Gaza.

"They just want to go to fight against Israel as the only way they feel possible to express solidarity with Palestinians," said Farid Zahran, who leads the main Egyptian organisation supporting the Palestinian intifada.

Last month Milad Mohammed Hameed, 22, tried to walk across the border but was spotted by Israeli guards and shot dead. He is now being called Egypt's "first martyr of the Palestinian intifada", and senior opposition politicians leading protests against Israel pay regular visits to his poor family in their village.

Mr Zahran does not believe that these young people are moved to sacrifice their lives by his group or political parties led by the Islamists and leftwing nationalists.

"It is the effect of the image," he said.

"This young man from Beheira had probably never heard of us before. It is enough for him to sit and watch the news every day and see the pictures of massacres Israel commits against Palestinian civilians and children."

The upsurge of sympathy with the Palestinians has become a problem for the Egyptian government, which has largely supported the US during the intifada.

Last week, in a demonstration marking the 54th anniversary of the creation of Israel, more than 1,000 Egyptians gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo chanting slogans not just against Israel and its "blind supporter" the US but also against "agent Arab regimes".

Mainly young, the demonstators praised "martyrdom attacks" against Israeli civilians by Palestinian militants and called on the the Egyptian government to open the border with Israel and allowed them to join the jihad.

One banner said: "Our rulers - tell us how much longer you will remain silent?"

Another said: "Arab rulers are asleep. Please do not disturb."

President Hosni Mubarak has been cautious in dealing with the protests and, along with King Abdullah of Jordan, has publicly opposed "irresponsible calls" to cut all connections immediately with Israel.

The two countries signed peace agreements with Israel, in 1979 and 1994 .

Most Arab analysts believe that one of the main factors behind President George Bush's taking a more active stance in the Middle East crisis was the angry demonstrations in Egypt and other Arab countries.