Egypt has reported the destruction of four smuggling tunnels in late
April. But the Egyptian Interior Ministry did not cite casualties and denied
the use of poison gas.
This marked the first time that Hamas formally accused Egypt of using
poison gas. Until now, Hamas complained that Egyptian security forces
were flooding the tunnels with water in what resulted in the death and
injury of several Palestinian workers.
Abu Zuhri said about 40 Palestinian workers have been killed by the
Egyptian gas pumped in the tunnels. He said Egypt has also flooded the
tunnels with raw sewage, which also proved lethal.
"We demand an investigation into the incident, and for those responsible
to be brought to justice," Abu Zuhri told a briefing on April 29.
Hamas said the Health Ministry examined the substance used in the
Egyptian destruction of the four tunnels. Officials said the four
Palestinians died of suffocation.
The tunnel industry has declined sharply in 2010 amid the economic
crisis in Gaza as well as intensified efforts by Egyptian security forces to
block smuggling from the Sinai. About 80 percent of the estimated 1,500
Palestinian smuggling tunnels were said to have been affected by the
construction of an Egyptian steel underground barrier along most of the
border with the Gaza Strip.
"The alternative is not to kill innocent citizens but to open the
crossings," Abu Zuhri said.
For its part, Egypt has alerted its security forces to the prospect of a
Hamas attack along the Sinai border. Officials said the Egyptian concern was
that Hamas would lead thousands of Palestinians to storm the Sinai border to
protest the siege of the Gaza Strip. They said at least 400 Egyptian
officers have arrived at the Gaza border over the last 48 hours.
On May 1, the Egyptian newspaper Al Masri Al Yom said Cairo was also
preparing for Hizbullah infiltration of Sinai. The newspaper cited the
Egyptian conviction and sentencing of 26 Hizbullah operatives on charges of
planning attacks in Egypt.
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