Egypt Finds Gaza-bound Smuggling Tunnel Laden With Explosives

Egyptian security forces unearthed a smuggling tunnel on Saturday that extended across the border into Gaza, Ma'an news agency reported. The tunnel, which contained large amounts of explosives, was destroyed by the military.

According to the report, the tunnel was 1,200 meters long – one of the largest in the area - and its entrance was hidden in the bedroom of a home in Rafah. Sources told Ma'an that "the tunnel interior was covered with steel boards and the floor was made of iron bars covered with wood boards."

Last year, Egyptian security officials announced plans for a security buffer zone in the area to end the long-standing problem of underground tunnels.

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The decision was taken as part of an emergency program that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the Egyptian National Security Council announced in October in response to the series of terror attacks in northern Sinai that killed 33 Egyptian soldiers.

These attacks are considered among the worst to take place since the overthrow of former President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood leadership in June 2013.