Eyewitnesses yesterday said that Israeli warplanes flew over the Egyptian territory during their offensive flights on the border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. They told Reuters that they saw the Israeli planes flying on low altitude, to the extent that it was clear that they were flying over Egyptian territory. The agency said that according to the peace treaty that was signed between Egypt and Israel in 1979, Israel had the right to fly its warplanes till the border, while the Egyptian warplanes may not fly beyond the western third of the Sinai Peninsula. As to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, it was reported that the death toll has reached 880 and 3700 Palestinians wounded. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the attack was close to achieving its objectives. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv has stepped up its criticism of Egypt with regard to the claimed issue of the arms smuggling. “If Egypt wants to reach an agreement with Israel to end the war in the Gaza Strip, it will have to give assurances that it will destroy the tunnels that feed Hamas with military supplies,” said Olmert. Israeli Defense Ministry Political Advisor Amos Gilad will arrive in Egypt on Monday to discuss this issue, said sources. In Rafah, the Egyptian authorities yesterday allowed the entry of the second convoy of volunteer doctors to the Gaza Strip, and allowed 32 Palestinians to cross to go to Arish Hospital. Security sources said that the Israeli shelling of the border area with Egypt broke parts of the Rafah crossing.
