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In the wake of the lull in the fighting, terrorist organizations step up efforts to smuggle arms and ammunition from Egypt into Israel and the Gaza Strip. In the absence of effective counter-measures by the Palestinian Authority, this phenomenon is expected to continue even more intensely. |
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Against the backdrop of the lull, the terrorist organizations have recently stepped up their efforts to smuggle arms and ammunition from Egypt into the Gaza Strip and Israeli territory. This stems from the organizations' interest to take advantage of the lull to increase their operative capabilities and accumulate power in anticipation of Israel 's implementation of its disengagement plan. |
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Against this backdrop, there has recently been a visible increase in the extent of smuggling arms and ammunition from Egypt into the Gaza Strip and Israel . Some of the smuggling activity is carried out in the Rafah region, using the tunnels passing underneath the Philadelphi Road (which served as the lifeline of the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip even before the lull 1), and some of the activity is carried out through Sinai (to the Gaza Strip and Israel ). |
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Since the beginning of 2005, there have been approximately 30 incidents of smuggling from the Sinai region, some to the Gaza Strip and some to the Negev . Since the beginning of the year, approximately 1000 rifles 2, dozens of RPG launchers, about 150 handguns and tens of thousands of bullets have been smuggled from Sinai to the Gaza Strip 3. It appears that during the month of March, about 5 anti-aircraft shoulder missiles were smuggled into the Gaza Strip using one of the tunnels. Figures in the Palestinian military intelligence and members of Hamas took part in that activity. |
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The Palestinian Authority attempts to demonstrate action against the tunnel activity in Rafah and has even uncovered approximately 20 tunnels during the lull. However, the measures it takes against the smuggling activity and the smugglers are not thorough and effective enough, and members of the military security even assist the smugglers. |
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1 See in this context the Information Bulletin ( July 27, 2004 ) published on our website, titled: The City of Rafah , on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt : A hotbed of Palestinian terrorism and arms smuggling through the illegal “tunnel industry” . 2 During the last month, Hamas smuggled approximately 600 rifles and numerous ammunition crates into the Gaza Strip. 3 In the course of 2004, about 4500 rifles, over 1000 handguns, hundreds of thousands of bullets, and over 25 RPG launchers were smuggled from Sinai. |
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