[On May 11, Egyptian security forces seized one of the largest weapons
caches ever in northern Sinai, Middle East Newsline reported. The cache, destined for the Hamas regime in
the Gaza Strip, was said to have consisted of rockets, 51 mortar shells, 21
grenades and 43 mines.]
The battles have taken place around the divided city of Rafah, the site
of nearly 1,200 tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The sources said
gun battles have been reported between two leading tribes Ñ Shelafa and
Turabin.
The sources said Shelafa and Turabin have been battling for a prime lot
in Rafah. In May 2009, gunmen from Turabin stormed the property and began
firing automatic weapons toward Shelafa clan members.
Egyptian police did not intervene in the gun battle, said to have lasted
for several hours. The sources said they did not know why police stayed
away.
The sources said Egypt has bolstered its security presence along the
14-kilometer Sinai-Gaza border. About 500 troops were deployed on the
outskirts of Rafah. They said this has resulted in a decline in weapons and
fuel smuggling from Sinai to the Gaza Strip.
Officials said the smuggling was facilitated by Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps. In 2009, Egypt was said to have arrested four
IRGC officers in Cairo, a ring allegedly led by Mohammed Alam Al Din.
The Israeli intelligence community has determined that Egypt remained
unwilling to stage a genuine crackdown to block weapons smuggling from Sinai
to the Gaza Strip. The community asserted that Egypt has been restrained in
dealing with Bedouin clans involved in weapons smuggling.
"The situation is better than before, but the Gaza Strip has still not
been hermetically sealed to smuggling," Israeli military intelligence chief
Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin said.
