Egyptian officials quoted in daily newspaper Maariv said Thursday that Egyptian security forces had found eight ground-to-ground and ground-to-air missiles in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula. The missiles were intended to be smuggled into Gaza, they said.
The officials did not reveal the exact types of missiles found or their condition.
Egyptian security forces uncovered a similar weapons cache last month, the officials said. That cache was found in central Sinai and included anti-tank missiles and grenades. Forces have found a total of 171 mortar shells, 212 anti-tank missiles and 29 explosives in special operations targeting Gaza-bound weapons and drugs in recent weeks.
Weapons and drugs are smuggled into Gaza through a series of tunnels that have been dug beneath the border city of Rafiah. Egyptian forces have located and destroyed dozens of the tunnels. Several tunnels have collapsed as well, killing dozens of smugglers in 2008 alone. Sources in Gaza say the winter rains could lead to more tunnel deaths as soggy ground and flooding in the area cause more collapses.
In addition to conducting counter-smuggling operations near Gaza, Egyptian forces are attempting to tighten their control along the Israel-Egypt border. The porous border is the site of hundreds of infiltrations a month. Many of those who enter Israel from Egypt are African refugees, thousands of whom manage to enter the country each year. Other entrants include illegal foreign workers and prostitutes, who are often smuggled across the border by Bedouin gangs.