Egypt started installing surveillance cameras at the Gaza border

Sunday February 01, 2009 01:14 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Egyptian Authorities started installing surveillance cameras along the Gaza-Egypt border in an attempt to monitor smuggling into Gaza and the digging of tunnels across the border.

Palestinian man smuggling a goat / AFP-Getty ImagesP

Egyptian security sources said that the operation was initiated two days ago and is being conducted in cooperation with US, French and German experts.
The United States vowed 32 M USD for technologies used in revealing locations of tunnels across the Gaza-Egypt border. The US also appointed several engineering experts to help Egypt in this issue.
Israel says that the tunnels are used by Palestinian groups to smuggle arms and ammunition into the Gaza Strip, and pushed for US and European help in monitoring the borders and stop the smuggling of arms into Gaza.
Since Israel imposed its strict siege on Gaza in mid June of 2007, the tunnel also became the only source of goods and food to the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the impoverished Gaza Strip.

Egypt says it detained two armed Palestinians after exiting a border tunnel

Saturday January 31, 2009 00:33 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli Ynet News reported on Friday that Egyptian security forces detained two armed Palestinians after they emerged from a tunnel across the border. The security forces also said that they are searching for seven other Palestinians believed to have made it through into Egypt.

Tunnel - Image, Middle-East online

An Egyptian security source said that the two gunmen were detained immediately after they exited the tunnel at the Gaza-Egypt border.

The source added that the arrested Palestinians informed the interrogators that seven other Palestinians managed to cross into Egypt and that Egyptian security forces are searching the area in an attempt to locate them.
Egypt vowed to Israel and the United States to counter the tunnels issue and stop arms and goods smuggle through them into the Gaza Strip.
Israeli military sources stated Friday that although Israel carried its 22-day war, several tunnels are still intact and Palestinian fighters could use them to rearm.
The Israeli military said that it managed to bomb at least 150 tunnels during the war.
Egypt already found and destroyed several tunnels across the border and arrested a limited number of Palestinians believed to be involved in the issue.
The tunnels are not only used for smuggling weapons, they also became a source of good and fuel to the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the impoverished and besieged coastal region.
Part of this siege is done with Egypt’s help, as it kept its side of the Rafah Border Terminal closed.
Hundreds of Palestinian patients died due to the ongoing Israeli siege as hospitals and medical centers ran out of basic supplies and equipment while Israel refused to allow seriously ill residents from crossing into Israel or Egypt for medical treatment.