In February this year, Egypt’s army has started a campaign to flood all smuggling tunnels to Gaza, a move that angered Hamas, the movement ruling the strip.
A militant attack in Sinai last year left 16 Egyptian border guards dead. The Egyptian government said some of the gunmen had crossed into Egypt through the Gaza tunnels.
The tunnels network has been a lifeline for some 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza, bringing in an estimated 30 per cent of all goods that reach the enclave and circumventing an Israeli blockade on Gaza that has lasted more than seven years.
