Egypt blames smugglers for recent hike in oil prices, says Israeli newspaper Calcalist Egyptian security forces are using modern and unexpected methods to tackle smugglers using tunnels bordering Israel, a leading Israeli newspaper has reported. According to economic publication Calcalist, Egyptian security forces have "electrified" tunnels and filled them with sea water and sewage, in a bid to deter smugglers.
For many years, Gaza’s economy has relied heavily on the tunnels to bring in fuel and other essentials from neighbouring Egypt. As a result, smugglers have been blamed for the hike in oil prices in Egypt.
Egypt’s new war against smugglers is expected to be a harsh blow to the Hamas-led Palestinian government, said the paper. The move provoked a leading Hamas official, Salah Bardawil, to launch a scathing attack against the Egyptian government.
According to several reports, Egypt’s move to fill the smuggling tunnel with sewage immediately resulted in a 25 percent increase in the price of construction materials in Gaza.
The Ministry of National Economy in Gaza, confirmed the closure of dozens of tunnels recently, admitting that it has had a negative impact on the region’s economy. In a statement issued on February 22, the ministry revealed that the amount of construction materials entering Gaza has dropped by up to 45 percent, while amounts of flour, rice, sugar and wheat also fell by 31 percent.
Recent findings by the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs suggest that Hamas is now procuring goods from Tel Aviv – with 310 trucks full of products from Israel already confirmed to have entered Gaza.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses told Arabstoday that Egyptian bulldozers have been spotted on the border with Gaza, working to destroy the tunnels.
However, other reports have emerged that smugglers are still finding ways to bypass the Egyptian measures and get across to Gaza. One security official in Gaza told Arabstoday that “working in tunnels resumed on Friday morning, after being closed all morning following clashes between Egyptian security forces and gunmen on the border."