Egypt seizes huge amount of fuel from 20 Gaza tunnels

Egyptian police over the last week discovered 20 underground tunnels and seized thousands of gallons of fuel being smuggled under the Egypt-Gaza border, a senior security official in Cairo said Thursday.

The official said four smugglers were arrested early Thursday after a heavy exchange of gunfire with Egyptian forces. Three of the suspects and one policeman were injured.

The suspects were laying an 800-meter underground pipeline to ship fuel illegally into Gaza, according to the official. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media.

Fuel and supplies are often scarce in Gaza, whose borders are frequently shut because of security concerns.

Earlier this week, an Egyptian security official said border guards discovered eight new smuggling tunnels north of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip.

The official said an Egyptian smuggler was arrested Tuesday inside one of the tunnels.

He said that in a separate incident, police fired at suspected smugglers in the Sinai desert near the Egyptian-Israeli border. They fled, leaving behind 1,100 pounds, or 500 kilograms, of hashish in large sacks.

Egyptian authorities have promised to crack down on the smugglers who use a wide network of underground tunnels between Egypt and Gaza.