The sources said the caches were stored and maintained with the
assistance of Bedouin operatives employed by Hamas. They said Bedouin
smugglers have become the leading partners in the Hamas weapons trade
through Sinai.
Egypt has reported the arrest of dozens of suspected smugglers linked to
the Hamas trade, Middle East Newsline reported. On May 11, Egyptian police arrested 11 Sinai residents on
suspicion of smuggling fuel and other goods to the Gaza Strip.
The smuggled shipment included four trucks loaded with 30,000 liters of
gasoline and diesel fuel destined for the Gaza Strip. The sources said the
fuel had been meant to be pumped through the massive tunnel network that
spanned Rafah, divided between Hamas and Egyptian rule.
The sources said Hamas was also overseeing the maintenance of huge
storage facilities for smuggled fuel near the border with Rafah. One such
facility was said to contain more than 6,000 liters of fuel.
Egypt has also been arresting members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
On May 16, Jihad operatives were arrested at the Rafah border terminal
after returning from Syria.
Jihad leader Ayman Nofal said Egypt has been holding at least 31 Jihad
members. Nofal claimed many of the detainees had undergone torture.
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