The Israeli military has released photos of a three-meter-high operational tunnel in the Philadelphia Corridor, purportedly discovered recently, through which vehicles can pass beneath the Philadelphia axis between the Rafah crossing and Egypt. However, a senior Egyptian government official has refuted these claims, denying the presence of any "operational tunnels" under the Philadelphi Corridor that borders Egypt and the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Israel Seizes Control of Rafah Crossing
The Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow 14-kilometer strip of land along the entire border between Egypt and Gaza, was fully controlled by Egypt until May. During this time, Israeli troops were prohibited from entering the zone.
In May 2024, Israel overran the corridor, seizing control of the Rafah crossing, Gaza's only exit to the outside world. This action violated the decades-long peace treaty with Egypt. Typically, Rafah serves as a civilian crossing for Palestinians traveling to Egypt for medical care and personal reasons. However, with all other borders closed since the war began, it has become the sole entry point for the limited humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza.
On June 17, the Israeli army set fire to the departure hall and several facilities on the Palestinian side of the Rafah land crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. Al Jazeera released a video on YouTube showing the aftermath of the crossing destruction committed by Israeli soldiers.
Recently, Egypt has confirmed its firm position that the Rafah crossing will remain closed as long as Israel maintains control over the Palestinian side, holding Israel responsible for the consequences of this closure and the worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Military Claims Troops Uncovered Operational Tunnels Linking Egypt and Gaza
On August 4, the Israeli occupying forces claimed that their troops had uncovered a three-meter-high tunnel in the Philadelphia Corridor in Gaza and destroyed it amid Israel's ongoing brutal war on Gaza.
The statement reads, "EXPOSED: 3-Meter-High Terrorist Tunnel in the Area of the Philadelphi Corridor: In recent operational activity, IDF troops eliminated dozens of tunnel routes in the area of the Philadelphi Corridor, and continue to locate additional ones. A three-meter-high tunnel was uncovered in the area at the beginning of last week."
Egypt Refutes Israel’s Claims About Operational Tunnels Between Gaza and Egypt
On Monday, Egypt denied Israeli claims about the existence of operational tunnels beneath the border area with the Gaza Strip. The state-affiliated Al Qahera News channel, citing a well-placed Egyptian source, reported that these claims are an attempt by Israel to divert attention from its failures in Gaza and to justify its aggression.
The source stated, "Israel has not provided evidence of operational tunnels along the Gaza border and is leveraging the existence of closed tunnels in Gaza to disseminate false claims for political purposes." Furthermore, the source accused Tel Aviv of ignoring the smuggling of weapons from Israel to the West Bank as a pretext to seize more West Bank lands and commit violence and genocide against Palestinians.
Moreover, a senior Egyptian government official told The New Arab that "Tel Aviv resorted to such a political maneuver to save face amid the world's condemnations of its brutal war against the Palestinians in Gaza."
The official further added, "We have also to bear in mind that the ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel have hit a stumbling block following the assassination of the Palestinian faction's lead peace negotiator and senior leader Ismail Haniyeh and the ongoing tension between Israel and Lebanon."
Egypt Debunks Israel’s Claim in May 2024
Egypt has denied Israel’s claim of uncovering operational tunnels between Egypt and Gaza. In May 2024, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced that the army had taken full control of the Philadelphi Corridor. Hagari stated that they found tunnels and missile platforms in the corridor, allegedly used by Hamas for operations.
However, Egypt has denied these claims. A high-level Egyptian source stated that there is no truth to Israeli claims about tunnels on the Egyptian side of the border with the Gaza Strip.
Egypt Destroys Gaza Tunnels Using Seawater and Sewage
It is not recent that such tunnels have been uncovered, and Israel's discovery is not considered a significant military or intelligence achievement. Historically, many of these large tunnels were used for commercial rather than military purposes. The Egyptian government has been working for over a decade to destroy tunnels between Gaza and Egypt.
In February 2013, Al Jazeera reported the Egyptian army's harsh tactics to close the tunnels leading to Gaza. The army began flooding the tunnels with sewage water, ostensibly to prevent "the flow of weapons into Egypt."
Al Jazeera has released a video showcasing scenes from inside a large tunnel, which may be used for vehicle movement.
By October 2015, Egyptian authorities had started pumping seawater into some of the border tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, aiming to impose complete control over the border and enhance security. At that time, the Ministry of Interior in Gaza urged the Egyptian authorities to halt what it described as a "destructive project" of flooding the Gaza Strip's borders with seawater.
In February 2016, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz claimed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had flooded the tunnels on his country’s border with Gaza with water "at Israel’s request."
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