Egypt continues to destroy Hamas terror infrastructure along with homes, but with no world condemnation. Yet when Israel fights a war of defense, it causes an international uproar. Double standard?
Home demolition in the Egyptian city of Rafah near the border with southern Gaza Strip on November 2, 2014. (Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Egypt has destroyed more than 60 Hamas-run tunnels since it launched its campaign to bolster its security on its border with the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Ma’an new agency quotes a military source in the Sinai who said on Monday that Egyptian border guards have destroyed over 60 smuggling tunnels along the Gaza border since October 28.
According to the source, a tunnel with a length of 1,500 meters was uncovered in Rafah and was placed under guard to be destroyed in the near future.
He added that seven tunnels were uncovered outside the buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza, which is currently under Egyptian development and construction. Five tunnels are 2,000 meters long, and the other two are 1,500 and 1,750 meters long.
Destroying Entire Neighborhoods
Egypt has engaged in a broad-scope campaign to clear the border area completely of any structures as part of its preparations to implement a 500-meter (550-yard) buffer zone along Egypt’s 13-kilometer (8-mile) border with Gaza. This includes the destruction of the vast network of tunnels running from the Gaza Strip into the Sinai Peninsula.
The tunnels are used for smuggling anything from cigarettes to cars, and they are a source of revenue for the Hamas regime. However, they are also used for terror and weapons smuggling.
Ma’an previously reported that Egyptian troops had demolished some 800 houses in the area, erasing entire neighborhoods in the process.
“Egypt is fighting a war of existence,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared in November. Egyptian authorities, like Israel, view the tunnels as a security threat and regularly destroy them. The demolition began following a surge of Hamas terror in the Sinai culminating in the deaths of 33 Egyptian military personnel.
Egypt’s operation continues uncontested by the world, whereas Israel engaged in a similar campaign during Operation Protective Edge and has since been harshly criticized for its actions and charged with war crimes.
Hamas already began to rebuild its destroyed terror tunnels into Israel, according to several reports, and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon warned UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that although Israel supports the rehabilitation of Gaza, it will not allow such a situation to develop again.
By: United with Israel Staff
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