Egypt Razes Groves, Homes, Smuggling Tunnels on Gaza Border

by Israel Hayom Staff and News Agencies

Egyptian military reportedly levels 6,000 square meters (64,500 feet) of olive groves, claiming terrorists used them for camouflage to launch attacks against Egyptian border guards, and to smuggle fuel, goods, weapons and drugs.

Egyptian soldiers on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in Rafah | Photo credit: AP

The Egyptian military has leveled large tracts of olive groves near the city of Rafah, destroying smuggling infrastructure and detonating several thousand liters of fuel, according to Palestinian and Egyptian reports. 

According to a Ma'an News Agency source in Rafah, the Egyptian military razed thousands of square meters of farmland because of several "openings" to Egypt used for smuggling, and because armed elements were using the groves as cover for targeting Egyptian soldiers and border guards. 

Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm reported that the army had destroyed 6,000 square meters (64,500 square feet) of olive groves, and that the military also detonated five tanks containing some 20,000 liters of fuel intended for the Gaza Strip.

Additionally, Al Ahram reported that security forces destroyed eight terrorist "nests," seven houses and three motorcycles used by terrorists in Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, a Bedouin town near the Gaza border. 

During its destruction of smuggling tunnels, the security forces also seized 10 sacks of the drug "bango," the Egyptian nickname for marijuana, according to Al Ahram. It was unclear to where the drugs were being smuggled. 

Armed militants, which Egypt says are affiliated with al-Qaida, have stepped up attacks against Egyptian security personnel since the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi in July. 

Military and security officials say the Brotherhood's true intention was to establish a single Islamic nation across several countries, and that Egypt's national interests were not its priority -- allegations it denies.

This week, Israel announced it had located and destroyed two terror tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip with the western Negev. One of the tunnels was discovered near the kindergarten at Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha.

Israel Hayom Staff and News Agencies

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=12689

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.