Egypt

Police destroy 4 smuggling tunnels at Gaza border

Police forces on Tuesday destroyed four smuggling tunnels at Egypt's border with Gaza, a source said.

The tunnels were discovered over the past two days in the districts of Salah Eddin and Barahma in Rafah.

The same source said Palestinian authorities were notified before the procedure to ensure that there were no people in the tunnels.

Smuggling tunnels are used by Gaza residents to transport commodities and food into the area, which Israel has placed under a blockade since 2007.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, pledged last month to better control the Gaza border and curb smuggling activity.

Last month, Dostour news website said Egypt asked Hamas to control its side of the border during negotiations over the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap deal.

Egypt has recently adopted strict security procedures to curb smuggling, which continues on a daily basis, according to Egyptian news reports.

Palestinian reports point out that an estimated 170 workers have died in accidents inside smuggling tunnels since February 2006.  

Translated from the Arabic Edition
 

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