Egypt floods lifeline tunnels into Gaza Strip
The Egyptian army has pumped water from the Mediterranean Sea into underground tunnels used by Palestinians to transfer essential supplies to the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip, witnesses and security officials say.
Abu Mohammad, a tunnel owner told Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency that the tunnels were flooded by “large amounts of water” on Friday “through large underground pipes that have hundreds of holes in them.”
“These pipes were extended in the past in a trench that extends across the borders between Egypt and the Gaza Strip,” he added.
Furthermore, Egyptian security officials said that the operation was aimed at ending what they claimed to be the smuggling of weapons to militants operating in the North African country’s troubled Sinai Peninsula, Germany’s DPA news agency reported.
Over the past few years, the Cairo government has launched a heavy-handed crackdown on the underground tunnels used by residents of Gaza to transfer essential supplies, including food and fuel, into the Israeli-blockaded coastal sliver.
In mid-June, the Egyptian military said it had demolished nearly 1,430 underground tunnels between the country and the Gaza Strip over the past year and a half.
Cairo has blamed a series of terror attacks in Sinai on Hamas which has ruled the Gaza since 2007, a claim strongly rejected by the Palestinian resistance movement.
Since 2007, the Tel Aviv regime maintains its land, air and sea blockade on more than 1.8 million people living in Gaza, denying them the most basic items like food, medicine and fuel.
This is while the Gaza Strip is still reeling from the Israeli regime’s military offensive last year. Nearly 2,200 Palestinians, including 577 children, lost their lives and more than 11,000 others sustained injuries in the 50-day war.
The Rafah border crossing, which is Gazans’ only way of access to the outside world free from Israel’s control, has been also shut by Egypt, further complicating the humanitarian situation in the coastal enclave.
UNRWA warns of humanitarian collapse in Gaza
Israeli military withdraws several brigades from southern Lebanon: Report
48-year-old Palestinian man serving 48 life terms completes 22 years in Israeli jails
UNRWA warns of humanitarian collapse in Gaza
'Hello my enemies': Lebanese journalist on Israeli threats and his resolve to continue
Outrage in France as MP proposes bill to ban criticism of Israel
VIDEO | The strategy of Hezbollah in war
Israeli military withdraws several brigades from southern Lebanon: Report
48-year-old Palestinian man serving 48 life terms completes 22 years in Israeli jails
From MKO to Tondar, how Germany became safe haven for anti-Iran terror groups
Hamas open to any proposal aiming to end Gaza war: Hamdan
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
