Egypt-Gaza border tunnel found
2006-12-07 14:05
Ashraf Sweilam
El-Arish - Border guards uncovered a tunnel in the border city of Rafah that allegedly was used to smuggle weapons and Palestinians from Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula, said a security official on Thursday.
The official said the tunnel, which was a metre wide, was found on Wednesday under the kitchen floor in a house located just less than 10 metres from the border crossing.
The owner of the house was arrested, and family members were asked to leave while security forces sealed off the area to search for other tunnels, added the official.
According to the official, the tunnel was dug in the 1990s, and Egypt was coordinating with Palestinian authorities in Gaza to close its other end.
Israel had long accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop the smuggling of weapons to Palestinian militants. Egypt had rejected the allegations, but recently said it would make a greater effort to crack down on the trafficking.
- AP