[Saturday, January 18, 2014] Egyptian border guards demolished eight smuggling tunnels underneath the Egypt-Gaza border in Rafah, on Saturday, according to Egyptian army sources.A military source told Ma’an News Agency that Egyptian border guards ‘continued with its role to protect the country’s borders in all strategic directions, demolishing eight smuggling tunnels under the borders in Rafah.’
At least 1,113 smuggling tunnels have been demolished since January 2013, the source said.
An official told Ma’an, in September, that over 90 percent of the Egypt-Gaza smuggling tunnels had been destroyed by Egyptian forces.
The tunnels had been a lifeline for the flow of food, clothing, building materials and fuel into Gaza, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2006.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip, and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardships for Gazans.
