CAIRO
The Egyptian army has destroyed ten tunnels linking the Sinai Peninsula with the Gaza Strip, a military spokesman said Wednesday.
"[Egyptian] border guards… managed to deal a new blow to cross-border smugglers by destroying ten tunnels in Rafah," army spokesman Ahmed Ali said via Facebook.
The underground tunnels had been a lifeline for Palestinians living in Gaza, which has groaned under an Israeli blockade since 2006.
In recent months, the Egyptian army has launched a campaign aimed at destroying the network of tunnels linking Gaza to Sinai, which constitute a major commercial artery used to bring vital commodities – including food, fuel and building materials – into the besieged coastal enclave.
Relations between Hamas – which governs the Gaza Strip – and Egypt's military-backed rulers have deteriorated since last year's overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi, a leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the ideological parent of Hamas.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
