Egypt Discovers, Destroys Smuggling Tunnel from Gaza

January 21, 2015

< 1 minute

Egyptian forces uncovered and destroyed a smuggling tunnel nearly a mile long between a Sinai home and Gaza, Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported. The 1,200 meter (0.75 mile) long tunnel was being used to smuggle weapons, fuel, food and other consumer goods across the border near Rafah.

The report indicated the tunnel was well-equipped with lightning and air ventilation systems, as well as phone lines connected to central call centers, allowing the Egyptian and Palestinian smugglers to communicate and coordinate.

According to a senior Egyptian security official cited in the report, the tunnel opened into a bedroom in the home of a known Egyptian smuggler.

Following a terror attack in Sinai that cost 30 lives, Egypt declared a three-month state of emergency and began work on a buffer zone to protect the northern Sinai Peninsula. Originally slated to extend 500 meters (546 yards) into Gaza, the planned area was expanded to a full kilometer. 1,220 homes are slated for evacuation.

“We have started evacuating the residents…but no houses have been demolished so far,” one security official said, according to Ynetnews.

In November, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported, “A decision was taken to increase the buffer zone along the border in Rafah to 1 kilometer. The decision…came after the discovery of underground tunnels with a total length of 800 to 1,000 metres [1,900 feet to 2,600 feet].”

Witnesses reported a team of Egyptian military sappers arriving at the site of this tunnel with a variety of industrial equipment, including tractors and plows, to destroy the tunnel. This tunnel is one of more than 1,600 the Egyptian army claims to have destroyed since it ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi from power in 2013. Egypt blames Hamas for aiding terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula via these smuggling tunnels.

Share this article

Donate today to support Israel’s needy

$10

$25

$50

$100

$250

CUSTOM AMOUNT

Subscribe

Prophecy from the Bible is revealing itself as we speak. Israel365 News is the only media outlet reporting on it.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox. See how the latest updates in Jerusalem and the world are connected to the prophecies we read in the Bible. .