Quds city, Sept 4, SPA -- Egyptian forces are to begin deploying in the Gaza border area in the coming days under an agreement with Israel, the Israeli Defense Ministry said Sunday, another key step in the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The Gaza withdrawal, meant to end a 38-year Israeli occupation of the area, began last month and is to be completed by mid-September, The Associated Press reported. About 750 lightly armed Egyptian forces are slated to take up positions along the border, according to an agreement signed last week between Israel and Egypt. The accord overrides a demilitarization clause in the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries. The Israeli Defense Ministry said the first Egyptian forces would arrive in the next few days, possibly as soon as Sunday, though it declined to give further details.
