CAIRO Ñ Egyptian authorities are confronting a stream of young people who are making their way through the Sinai Peninsula to join the Palestinian war against Israel.

Egyptian forces have been bolstered along the border with Israel as well as that with the Gaza Strip in an attempt to stop Egyptian nationals from joining the Palestinian insurgency.

Over the weekend, seven Egyptians were arrested on suspicion of seeking to cross the Sinai border into Gaza, Middle East Newsline reported.

Egyptian sources said those arrested included university students, particularly from Alexandria. They were composed of men and women who ranged from ages 19 to 30. A 25-year-old woman was found carrying explosives.

Some of those arrested, the sources said, told authorities that they intended to volunteer for suicide attacks against Israel. One woman, identified as Jamila Bashari Mahmoudeen and one of three arrested, said she was influenced by television footage of the Israeli military campaign in West Bank cities earlier this month.

The sources said most Egyptians who attempt to enter Israel or the Gaza Strip are released with a warning. The exceptions are those caught trying to smuggle weapons.

Western diplomatic sources said President Hosni Mubarak has ordered security forces to increase monitoring of the Gaza border as well in other areas of the Sinai Peninsula. The sources said Egypt has bolstered its forces in Sinai with both police and military troops.

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