Egypt has installed surveillance cameras along its border with Gaza as part of efforts to curb arms smuggling into the Palestinian territory, an Egyptian security official said.
"Alarms and surveillance cameras were installed last week along the 14-kilometre border" to detect activity through smuggling tunnels, the official said, declining to be named.
He said it was the first phase of a high-tech security system being installed with US assistance, part of a bid to bolster the January 18 ceasefire in Israel's war against the Islamist Hamas movement which controls Gaza.
The tunnels are also used to ferry food supplies and other necessities into the Gaza Strip, which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since June 2007.
The United States has pledged $50 million in detection equipment to unearth smuggling tunnels and US army engineers have been providing technical assistance on the ground.
Meanwhile France has sent a frigate to patrol the waters off Gaza, where more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed in Israel's assault aimed at halting rocket attacks on its territory and arms smuggling.
Israel has reserved the right to resume attacking tunnels under the Gaza border, as it did during its 22-day offensive, after tunnel building resumed almost immediately after the ceasefire.
"Alarms and surveillance cameras were installed last week along the 14-kilometre border" to detect activity through smuggling tunnels, the official said, declining to be named.
He said it was the first phase of a high-tech security system being installed with US assistance, part of a bid to bolster the January 18 ceasefire in Israel's war against the Islamist Hamas movement which controls Gaza.
The tunnels are also used to ferry food supplies and other necessities into the Gaza Strip, which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since June 2007.
The United States has pledged $50 million in detection equipment to unearth smuggling tunnels and US army engineers have been providing technical assistance on the ground.
Meanwhile France has sent a frigate to patrol the waters off Gaza, where more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed in Israel's assault aimed at halting rocket attacks on its territory and arms smuggling.
Israel has reserved the right to resume attacking tunnels under the Gaza border, as it did during its 22-day offensive, after tunnel building resumed almost immediately after the ceasefire.
Source: ABC Online
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