GAZA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian and Palestinian Hamas authorities started to destroy smuggling tunnels between the Gaza Strip and North Sinai on Wednesday, three days after the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers in an attack by unknown Islamists, Palestinian sources said.
The sources said the process is simultaneous on both sides of the border, with particular focus on those used for the movement of people.
Israel and the Egyptian military suggested that some of the attackers might have infiltrated from the Gaza Strip, which is strongly denied by the Islamic Hamas movement.
The smuggling tunnels are used mainly to move goods, but people can also enter North Sinai via these tunnels. Hamas licensed the digging of tunnels to get around Israeli sanctions that aim at isolating the Islamic movement.
Hamas has said the closure of the tunnels does not mean a full destruction until an alternative way to import goods is found. more
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