Sunday, September 20, 2015

Hamas demands end to Egypt's flooding of Gaza smuggling tunnels


GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Gaza's Hamas rulers are calling on Egypt to halt a project aimed at destroying the last remaining smuggling tunnels along the border.

The project is being billed as an Egyptian military-operated fish farm that would effectively fill the border area with water. Egyptian military officials have said the fish farm is designed to shut down tunnels used to bring in militants and weapons.

Hamas has said that the project further isolates the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the militant group seized power in 2007. Hamas said Sunday the project "represents a great danger" to homes on the Palestinian side and to groundwater.

Last week smugglers said a tunnel collapsed after it was flooded. There was no immediate comment from Egyptian officials.