Popular protests continued yesterday across Egypt against Israel's aggression on the Gaza Strip. The protesters called for a firm intervention by the international community to stop the "brutal attacks" on the Palestinian people and for Israel's blockade to be lifted from the Gaza Strip. More than a thousand people from el-Tagammu Party held a protest yesterday in Benha (Qalyubia Governorate) to criticize the Israeli aggression on Gaza. They called for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled from Egypt, while Benha Local Council members decided to donate their 16-month bonuses to the Palestinian people. In Sharkia, some 5,000 members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) group staged a conference at the Doctors' Syndicate in Zagazig. They called on Arab regimes to stand with their peoples against the Israeli aggression and demanded the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Egypt and a boycott of products coming from the US and other countries supporting Israel. The MB staged some 20 protests yesterday afternoon throughout the governorate with hundreds of people from all trends. In Mansoura, MB Tarek Qotb issued an urgent statement affirming that Israel has committed a series of massacres in the Gaza Strip. The statement also called on the Egyptian government to open the Rafah border crossing and let the civil society collect donations for the Palestinians. In Kafr Sheikh, some 5,000 people took part in a march that kicked off from the Doctors' Syndicate headquarters and went around the city. They also called for donations for the Palestinian people and for the embargo to be lifted. In Fayoum, hundreds of MB members staged a march throughout the city, while hundreds more demonstrated elsewhere in the governorate against the Israeli bombardment. In Luxor, State Security Investigation Bureau and other security organs warned parties, syndicates and popular forces against any demonstration or any other thing that might disrupt order. An official security source in Luxor said the city is at the peak of its tourism season and is full of tourists, as hotels work at full swing during the Christmas and New Year period, which makes it impossible for the city to stand any demonstration
