Egypt to hold public auction for confiscated Gaza goods

Published today (updated) 28/10/2009 10:39

Al-Arish – Ma’an –

Provincial authorities in the Sinai plan to hold a public auction to sell goods seized from smugglers along the border with Gaza, an Egyptian security source said on Wednesday.

The confiscated goods are valued at two million US dollars, the source said.

Also on Wednesday Egyptian security forces said that they uncovered five smuggling tunnels along the border with the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian source told Ma’an that the tunnels were located at the northern and southern ends of the 12 kilometer border with Gaza. No one was arrested and no goods were seized in connection with the tunnels, the source added.

The security source also claimed that Egyptian security has discovered more than 450 smuggling tunnels in the border area in 2009 alone, although this could not be independently verified.

Due to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, underground tunnels to Egypt are the only reliable means of importing goods, including food, fuel, appliances, and thousands of other items, into the territory.

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