Egyptian army destroys more tunnels under Gaza border

The Egyptian army has destroyed six more tunnels under the border with Gaza, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The location and destruction of the tunnel entrances took place during the period 21 February to 13 March, said Colonel Tamer Al-Refa’e in a statement reported by Felesteen newspaper.

Read: PA suspends medical treatment for Gazans in Egypt

Since the middle of September 2015, the Egyptian army has been pumping sea water into the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, which have been described as the besieged territory’s “lifeline”. The Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip use the tunnels to obtain basic necessities due to the severe shortages caused by the strict Israeli-led siege, which has been in place since 2007. Egypt and the international community support the siege.

Indeed, the siege has been tightened since the military coup led by current President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi against the freely-elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been closed ever since, apart from a few days every month or so.