Egyptian border authorities on Tuesday arrested a Palestinian woman in her fifties who was trying to smuggle weapons parts into the Gaza Strip in her suitcase, security sources said.

One of the sources said the woman, Fathia Abdel-Razeq Said of the Beach refugee camp, had tried to take in "large quantities" of parts, including springs and firing pins.

She was arrested when her bags were searched after setting off a metal detector at the Rafah crossing.

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Israel says the Gaza-Egypt border is a major transit point for militants and weapons, and it has often closed Rafah citing security reasons.

Egypt says it does its best to stop smuggling, and police regularly seize explosives and ammunition in Sinai, sometimes hidden in tunnels near the border.

In recent months Egypt has arrested at least eight Palestinians in the border area, three of whom were suspected of planning attacks against Israeli tourists.