Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that his country would begin construction of a fence along Egypt’s border with Israel within two weeks.
Israeli Radio quoted Netanyahu as saying that the purpose of erecting the fence was to prevent infiltrators from crossing from Sinai into Israel and to preserve the security of Israel.
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli intelligence official warned that Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007 after sweeping Palestinian legislative elections one year earlier, possesses rockets that can travel 80 kilometers–a longer range than previously reported–which would put Tel Aviv within range of its launchers.
The same official said that Egypt was not doing enough to prevent smuggling activities via underground tunnels. An Egyptian security source, however, denied the accusations, saying that Egypt was in full control of its borders and did not allow smuggling into Gaza.
Mohamed Bassiouni, Egypt’s former ambassador to Israel, dismissed Israel’s accusations as lies.
Meanwhile, a top security official said on Monday that Egypt had cracked down on tunnels in Gaza and intercepted explosives destined for the enclave, AFP reported.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said security forces had closed down dozens of tunnels this year and found nothing to suggest they were being used to smuggle weapons. He also said that security services had captured large quantities of explosives extracted from ordnance left over from Egypt's past wars with Israel.
"We set up dozens of checkpoints inside Rafah and along the roads leading to it to prevent smuggling operations," he said. "The weapons that reach Gaza come via the sea, which is controlled by the Israeli navy."
