AL-ARISH: Egyptian security forces have discovered five tunnels used to smuggle contraband to the besieged Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, a security official said on Saturday.
The tunnels were found north of the Egyptian border town of Rafah over the past few days and would be destroyed, he said.
There were motorbikes, food and computer parts found in the tunnels, he said.
Israel tightened its blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized the territory in June 2007. The impoverished enclave relies on international aid and products smuggled through a network of tunnels linking it to Egypt which are also used to send in weapons.
Ten days ago, Cairo announced the arrest of a cell led by a Lebanese Hezbollah agent accused of plotting attacks in Egypt.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said the alleged cell leader was a Hezbollah member tasked with smuggling weapons to Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Egypt, under pressure from Israel and the United States, has taken increasingly robust measures to crack down on smuggling. -AFP
