RAFAH, Egypt, (AP) – Egyptian authorities uncovered two new tunnels along the border with the Gaza Strip and arrested a Palestinian man trying to cross through one, a security official said Sunday.
Officials found the tunnels in the border city of Rafah in the Sinai Peninsula. Capt. Mohammed Badr of the North Sinai Peninsula police said officials found food and water in the tunnel the man was using. He said the man, in his early 20s, was being questioned.
Another tunnel was discovered inside a residential area in Rafah, according to Badr. He said security forces did not seal off the second tunnel because they hoped to arrest more people trying to sneak into or out of Egypt.
Palestinians frequently smuggle weapons and contraband into the Gaza Strip from Egypt through tunnels. Israel has complained that Palestinian militant groups smuggle in explosives used against nearby Israeli towns and that Egypt does not do enough to stop the smuggling.
Egypt has rejected the allegations but recently said it would make a greater effort to crack down on the trafficking.
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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