Israel is requesting to have sensors installed on the Egyptian border with Gaza to prevent Hamas from digging tunnels from which it would be able to smuggle weapons into the Strip and which may be used by Hamas leaders to escape capture amid the Israeli ground offensive, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
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An Egyptian official told the paper that Israel requested direct notification if the sensors are triggered and the right to dispatch surveillance drones to the area if that occurs.
The official said that Egypt would consider adding sensors to the border but would not agree to notify the Israelis or allow them to use drones which would be considered a violation of Egyptian sovereignty. He also said negotiations had been underway in the past two weeks but were stuck over those matters.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that the control over the Gaza border with Egypt must be in the hands of Israel in order to ensure that Hamas is not able to rebuild its military capabilities after the war and that hostages who are held captive by Hamas in Gaza would not be smuggled out of the strip and taken elsewhere in the world.
“It must be closed,” he said. “It’s clear that any other arrangement won’t guarantee the disarmament that we want.”
Egypt had rejected Israel's position and had claimed it had taken measures to destroy Hamas tunnels dug under its border and leading into the Sinai Desert but a retired general told the WSJ that that claim was evidently wrong.
“It’s clear that the Egyptians failed to stop the flow of munitions and weapons into Gaza in the past 18 years, they can’t deny it,” Giora Eiland said.