Egypt started installing surveillance cameras at the Gaza border

The Egyptian Authorities started installing surveillance cameras along the Gaza-Egypt border in an attempt to monitor smuggling into Gaza and the digging of tunnels across the border.

Egyptian security sources said that the operation was initiated two days ago and is being conducted in cooperation with US, French and German experts.

The United States vowed 32 M USD for technologies used in revealing locations of tunnels across the Gaza-Egypt border. The US also appointed several engineering experts to help Egypt in this issue.

Israel says that the tunnels are used by Palestinian groups to smuggle arms and ammunition into the Gaza Strip, and pushed for US and European help in monitoring the borders and stop the smuggling of arms into Gaza.

Since Israel imposed its strict siege on Gaza in mid June of 2007, the tunnel also became the only source of goods and food to the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the impoverished Gaza Strip.