Officials: Egypt military begins operation to close Gaza smuggling tunnels
Hundreds of tunnels under Egypt-Gaza border used to smuggle supplies into Gaza; Egypt officials, speaking anonymously, say using sensors to identify tunnel locations and block them with cement and water.
Egypt’s military has begun an operation to close a network of smuggling tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border following tension with Israel, security officials said Saturday.
Hundreds of tunnels snake under the 14-kilometer border, where smugglers bring Gaza supplies and fuel limited by Israeli blockade. Israel charges Gaza’s Hamas rulers get weapons, ammunition and rockets through the tunnels and smuggle militants out.
Officials said that this week, three mechanized sensors were activated to identify tunnel locations and mark them for destruction. Earlier efforts were confined to trying to close tunnel openings, as well as one failed effort to drive a steel wall deep into the sand.
The officials were speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.
Israel and Egypt are increasingly concerned about the tunnel threat following an attack last month near Israel’s southern city of Eilat, near the Egyptian border and a rising presence of Islamic militants in Egypt’s Sinai desert alongside Israel.