Egypt detains 3 Palestinians in Sinai

Ma'an News Agency
October 4, 2012

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/3460/egypt-detains-3-palestinians-in-sinai

EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Thursday detained three Palestinian students who entered Sinai through tunnels from Gaza, security sources said.

Egyptian security officials told Ma'an the students were detained at a checkpoint in north Sinai and admitted under questioning that they entered through tunnels.

They told police they wanted to visit relatives in Ismailia and faced difficulties crossing the Rafah border terminal.

Egypt started closing the tunnels after an Aug. 5 attack in Sinai when gunmen killed 16 Egyptian soldiers. Egypt suspects the tunnels were used by some of the militants. Hamas says no one from Gaza was involved in the attack.

The tunnels have been used to import anything from food to construction materials, fuel and cars, and militants have also used them to import munitions used to attack Israel, which has targeted some of the tunnels with air strikes.

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