The Israeli military stated this Wednesday (29) that it had established “operational control” over the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer strip along the border between Gaza and Egypt.
“In recent days, Israel has established operational control over the Philadelphi Corridor,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference.
He said 20 tunnels were found at the site and are being “neutralized”.
The Israeli Army clarified that “operational control” means the military has “full control of the corridor in terms of intelligence collection and fire range,” even if there was a “small area near the sea where we are not physically present.”
Israel said the 20 tunnels reached Egypt; some of them are new, and the information has been passed on to Egyptian authorities. The Israeli Army also found 82 tunnel access points along the corridor.
Israel believes the network of underground tunnels is used to move goods, people and weapons into the enclave.
Hagari said that Hamas used the corridor to smuggle weapons and “used” the space to build infrastructure “tens of meters from the border with Egypt so that the place is not attacked.”
The Israeli Army says it also found a “terrorist infrastructure” one kilometer east of Rafah, the entrance to which is 100 meters from the Rafah crossing.
Egypt denies the existence of tunnels along the border with Gaza
Egypt denied Israeli statements about the existence of tunnels along its border with Gaza, this Wednesday (29).
“These lies propagated by Tel Aviv indicate the scale of the crisis facing the Israeli government,” state-run Al-Qahera TV said, citing a senior Egyptian government official.
A senior source told the channel earlier in the day that there is no communication “with the Israeli side regarding allegations of the existence of tunnels along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.”
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
