Egypt installs cameras, censors on borders with Gaza, with NATO help

[ 01/02/2009 - 10:42 AM ]

CAIRO, (PIC)--

Egypt has begun installing cameras and motion sensors along its border with the Gaza Strip to try to combat smuggling to the Hamas-run territory, security sources said on Saturday.

The sources said that the installation started two days earlier with the help of American, French and German experts, and added the installation was the first phase in installing an advanced monitoring system.

The USA had pledged 32 million dollars to provide high-tech equipment that would help detect tunnels along the Egyptian-Palestinian borders and assigned its engineering corps to assist the Egyptian authority in this operation.

Tunnels have turned into a vital source for providing foodstuff and other goods for the besieged Palestinian people in Gaza after all crossings of the Strip including the Rafah terminal with Egypt were closed since mid 2007 following Hamas's control of the Strip.

Israel claims that Palestinian resistance factions were using those tunnels to smuggle weapons and urged the USA and Europe to take appropriate measures to monitor and block arms smuggling into Gaza.

Egypt started installing surveillance cameras at the Gaza border

Sunday February 01, 2009 01:14 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Egyptian Authorities started installing surveillance cameras along the Gaza-Egypt border in an attempt to monitor smuggling into Gaza and the digging of tunnels across the border.

Egyptian security sources said that the operation was initiated two days ago and is being conducted in cooperation with US, French and German experts.

The United States vowed 32 M USD for technologies used in revealing locations of tunnels across the Gaza-Egypt border. The US also appointed several engineering experts to help Egypt in this issue.

Israel says that the tunnels are used by Palestinian groups to smuggle arms and ammunition into the Gaza Strip, and pushed for US and European help in monitoring the borders and stop the smuggling of arms into Gaza.

Since Israel imposed its strict siege on Gaza in mid June of 2007, the tunnel also became the only source of goods and food to the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the impoverished Gaza Strip.

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