Egypt army 'preparing for Sinai operation'
Published yesterday (updated) 07/07/2013 17:48
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=611743

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egypt's army is preparing for a large-scale military
operation in Sinai, an army official said Sunday, as forces sealed more
smuggling tunnels along the Gaza border.

An Egyptian military official told Ma'an the army was preparing for a major
operation in Sinai "to clean it up from terrorist and criminal cells."

The army official said "coordination is ongoing between the Egyptians and
the Israelis to bring military vehicles, troops and jets into Sinai to fight
terror."

The 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt has imposed strict controls
on deployments in the desert peninsula.

Egyptian soldiers seized seven boxes of ammunition at a tunnel opening in
the al-Barahmeh neighborhood of Rafah on Sunday, the Egyptian official said,
adding that the army had deployed to the area to stop infiltrators entering
through tunnels.

Egyptian soldiers and armored vehicles have deployed heavily along the Gaza
border for two weeks.

Egypt's army used sand to seal several smuggling tunnels along the border
near the Brazil neighborhood on Sunday, a Ma'an reporter said.

The health ministry in Gaza warned Saturday that the tunnel closures had
caused a fuel crisis that is affecting hospitals.

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said hospitals' fuel reserve was down to
20 percent. Hospitals are using smaller generators to minimize fuel
consumption, all-Qidra told Ma'an.

The Hamas-run government has appealed for help from the Arab, Islamic and
international communities as well as the World Health Organization and human
rights organizations, he added.

Meanwhile, Egypt has not informed Palestinian officials when it will reopen
the Rafah crossing, the government in Gaza said Sunday. Due to Israel's
blockade, Rafah crossing is the only terminal for most Palestinians in Gaza
to leave the enclave.

Egypt's army closed the border terminal on Friday. Egyptian officials said
the closure was due to unrest in Sinai following the army's ouster of
President Mohamed Mursi.

Several Islamist militants have publicly threatened to carry out raids in
reprisal for Mursi's dismissal on Wednesday.

On Sunday, militants blew up a gas pipeline in El-Arish, a day after gunmen
killed a Coptic priest in the North Sinai city.

That came after armed supporters of Mursi had stormed the provincial
headquarters in El-Arish and raised the black banner of Al-Qaeda-inspired
militants on Friday night, an AFP correspondent said.

Also Friday, militants launched coordinated rocket and machine gun attacks
on Egyptian army and police checkpoints in the Sinai, killing one soldier
and wounding two others, Egyptian medical sources said.

A police station and a military intelligence building in the border town of
Rafah also came under fire from rockets, security sources said.

The Israeli army said Tuesday that it had "authorized" the deployment of
Egyptian military reinforcements in Sinai.

"The Egyptian military activity in the Sinai is coordinated with Israeli
security elements and authorized at the most senior levels in Israel, in
order to contend with security threats in the Sinai that pose a threat to
both Israel and Egypt," the army said in a statement.