Gazans fear total blockade after Egypt destroys more tunnels

Egyptian authorities say they are acting to prevent the flow of weapons into Gaza Gazans are worried about a complete blockade after Egyptian authorities began destroying tunnels between Egypt and Gaza without installing a viable alternative for the transfer of basic goods. Security sources confirmed that the Egyptian army had used explosives to destroy two tunnels on Sunday, as part of its crackdown launched early in February to close the tunnels that are being used to smuggle goods into the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian authorities claimed they were acting to prevent the flow of weapons into Gaza.
Residents in the Egyptian border town of Rafah said they had heard several blasts on Sunday evening, as military forces returned to the use of explosives instead of flooding the tunnels.
The closure of two further tunnels means authorities have shut around 230 out of the 300 underground passages between Egypt and Gaza.
Gazan merchants said the campaign had caused a rise in the price of some goods smuggled through the tunnels, especially building materials.
The acting director of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) denied that the Gaza Strip is suffering a fuel shortage crisis, describing concerns that fuel supplies may be cut off as "unwarranted."
He said the operation would only affect the flow of fuel into the Gaza Strip "for a day or two" before traffic "returns to normal."
Last month, National Security Advisor to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, Essam al-Haddad, said that his country would not tolerate the smuggling of weapons to and from Gaza, adding that the practice threatens to "destabilise Sinai."
Egyptian military forces said they were closing tunnels as part of Operation Eagle, which began in August 2012, after an attack on a security checkpoint in Rafah in which 16 security officers were killed.
The campaign was intensified last month when authorities started flooding the tunnels, reducing the transfer of goods to Gaza by 60 percent.
According to Turkish news agency Anadolu, Gaza residents and tunnel owners said the tactic had led to shortages in fuel and building supplies.
The Gaza Strip's 1.7 million residents rely heavily on the tunnels for basic materials and building supplies, as Israel has imposed a strict blockade on the strip since Hamas came to power in 2007.