MIDDLE EAST:In a move that further increased tensions between Jerusalem and Cairo, Israel's deputy defence minister announced yesterday that the Jewish state wanted to relinquish all control over Gaza, now that the border between the coastal strip and Egypt was completely open.
"We need to understand that when Gaza is open to the other side, we lose responsibility for it," said Matan Vilnai.
"So we want to disconnect from it.
"We want to stop supplying electricity to them, stop supplying them with water and medicine, so that it would come from another place."
Mr Vilnai spoke as tens of thousands of Palestinians crossed again from Gaza into Egypt, the day after a steel border wall was flattened by militants.
Israel, which controls the coastline, airspace and borders around Gaza, except for the Gaza-Egypt section of the border, imposed a blockade on the strip several days ago - severely limiting fuel and aid supplies - in an effort to deter militants who had stepped up rocket attacks on Israeli towns. With fuel supplies, food and medicines scarce as a result of the blockade, militants blasted the wall on Wednesday and thousands of Gazans poured into Egypt's Sinai Desert, where they stocked up on supplies.
Mr Vilnai's comments were generally understood as meaning Egypt should take over responsibility for the strip, now that it had allowed its border with Gaza to be opened.
Since Hamas grabbed control of Gaza in June last year, Egypt has largely kept its border with Gaza sealed.
But with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak facing intense public pressure as fuel supplies ran scarce and electricity went out in Gaza, he ordered Egyptian forces at the border not to block the entry of Palestinians when the wall was toppled.
The move has infuriated Israeli leaders, who are already annoyed with Mr Mubarak over what they say is his poor record in preventing the smuggling of weapons to Hamas via tunnels from the Egyptian side of the border into Gaza.
Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni recently accused Egypt of doing a "terrible" job in policing the border.
Israeli officials were incensed a few weeks ago when Egypt allowed Muslim Haj pilgrims associated with Hamas back into the strip.
The Israelis believed that the pilgrims were ferreting money back to the cash-strapped Hamas government.
The comments by Mr Vilnai will have raised concerns in Egypt that Israel might try to fob off responsibility for the 1.5 million residents of Gaza on Cairo.
It has also raised fears among Palestinian leaders that Israel, which left Gaza in 2005 but still controls the West Bank, might try and separate between the two territories.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas warned that if Israel did try to sever the West Bank, which he controls, from Hamas-controlled Gaza, it would have "grave consequences" for a peace process that was reignited last month after a seven-year hiatus in negotiations.
Israel is worried that in addition to the food, cigarettes, fuel and livestock that Gaza residents are bringing back into the strip from Egypt, militants are also bringing in weapons.