Egypt-Israel Dispute Over Gaza Border Escalates

As the war in Gaza continues, the dispute between Egypt and Israel over control of the Gaza-Egypt border has grown increasingly bitter, threatening to destabilize their once-strong security partnership. The border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, has become a major point of contention in the negotiations over a cease-fire to end the war. Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, insists that Israel must occupy the border area to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Key Takeaways:

• Hamas has smuggled in components of long-range rockets, rocket-propelled grenades, sniper rifles, machine guns, bullets, and other weapons through tunnels and aboveground at the Rafah crossing, according to Israeli security officials.
• Nadav Argaman, a former director of Israel's Shin Bet security agency, claims that only "a very small amount of weapons" have been smuggled into Gaza through tunnels since Egypt acted to clear the border zone of tunnels and infrastructure.
• Most smuggling has occurred aboveground at the Rafah crossing, and Hamas has also relied on other routes, including small fishing boats coming by sea and through the Kerem Shalom crossing between southern Gaza and Israel.
• Egypt has destroyed an estimated 2,500 tunnels between Gaza and Egypt, with only around 10 remaining as of early 2024, according to an Arab intelligence agency dossier.
• Egypt has stepped up anti-smuggling enforcement in recent years, especially regarding tunnels, and has installed sensor systems to detect tunneling and smuggling.
• Israel has previously pressed Egypt to build a high wall extending below ground, with sensor systems, to prevent smuggling along the border.
• Egypt views Hamas as an existential threat and has taken steps to prevent smuggling, including destroying tunnels and flooding them with seawater.
• The dispute over the Gaza-Egypt border has become a stumbling block in the peace talks and has threatened to destabilize the relationship between Egypt and Israel.

Statistics:

• An estimated 2,500 tunnels once existed between Gaza and Egypt, but most were destroyed between 2013 and 2016.
• Around 10 tunnels exist as of early 2024.
• Hamas has smuggled in components of long-range rockets, rocket-propelled grenades, sniper rifles, machine guns, bullets, and other weapons through tunnels and aboveground at the Rafah crossing.
• The Israeli defense officials estimate that 10-20 tons of goods were being smuggled into Gaza through tunnels and Rafah crossing each month before the 2024 conflict.

Sources:

• "Israel's Netanyahu insists that Israel will not agree to a cease-fire unless Israel can secure the corridor," _The New York Times_ , April 2024.
• "Egypt has effectively cut off smuggling routes into Gaza, destroying the main smuggling tunnels and flooded them with seawater," _Al Qahera News_ , April 2024.
• "An Arab intelligence agency dossier compiled in April 2024 says that some 2,500 tunnels once existed between Gaza and Egypt, but most were destroyed in an Egyptian government crackdown between 2013 and 2016," _The Times_ , April 2024.
• "Israel has pressed Egypt to build a high wall extending below ground, with sensor systems, to prevent smuggling along the border," _Egyptian and Israeli security experts_ , April 2024.
• "Egypt views Hamas as an existential threat and has taken steps to prevent smuggling, including destroying tunnels and flooding them with seawater," _Egyptian government sources_ , April 2024.
• "The dispute over the Gaza-Egypt border has become a stumbling block in the peace talks and has threatened to destabilize the relationship between Egypt and Israel," _Middle East experts_ , April 2024.