Egyptian border police Tuesday unearthed eight smuggling tunnels between the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, a security official reported. The official said this was part of Egypt’s continued efforts to stem the flow of goods and weapons into the Palestinian territory. “Since Saturday, authorities have found eight tunnels linking Egypt to the Gaza Strip,” the official said, adding that “some of them contained petrol cans and cigarettes”. According to the official, no arrests had been made and the tunnels would be demolished over the next few days. Israel has almost continuously called on Egypt to do more to end the illegal arms smuggling they contend occurs between the country’s Sinai Peninsula and Gaza. Cairo has vehemently denied Israel’s claims of inaction, bolstering its personnel along the border as proof. A recent truce between Israel and Palestinian groups is conditional upon ending the alleged weapons smuggling between Egypt and the blocked territory.
