Egypt reinforces Gaza border

The Egyptian army presence on the border with Gaza has been reinforced following the mass deployment of additional troops on Wednesday. Witnesses said that a huge number of soldiers equipped with bulldozers and armoured vehicles have spread along the border in “unprecedented” numbers.

The military bulldozers are expected to be used to demolish more tunnels linking Egypt with the Gaza Strip. The tunnels have been used to supply Gaza with much-needed commodities since the start of the Israeli siege in 2006. Their closure is leading to empty shelves and rocketing prices for the Palestinians in the impoverished territory.

Two Egyptian military apache attack helicopters flew over the Gaza Strip last week, the first time that any non-Israeli aircraft have done so for years. A spokesman for the Palestinian government in Gaza said that they had called Egypt about the issue but did not want to disclose any details.