The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation in Rafah has revealed the presence of a hidden overpass between Egypt and Gaza, which Hamas could utilize to smuggle items without international oversight, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Lt. Col. Amit Yagor (Res.), a former intelligence officer, wrote:
[Egypt] facilitates an extensive network of smuggling tunnels from its territory to the Gaza Strip, effectively serving as the organization’s “lifeline” and a primary source of illegal weapons, ammunition, and prohibited materials essential for establishing “Deep Gaza.”
The significant discovery was the existence of an overpass between Egypt and Gaza – the Salah al-Din crossing – which was used for transporting goods from Egypt to the Gaza Strip without any Israeli or international oversight. This operation was in addition to the well-known Rafah crossing and was not widely publicized.
Apparently, the economy created by the tunnels, goods, and crossings, along with the industry developed on Egyptian soil, significantly contributed to the stability Egypt sought to maintain in the Sinai Peninsula. Consequently, Egypt had an interest in sustaining this system, although it had the capability to dismantle it as it had in other cases.
Egypt had opposed an Israeli operation in Rafah, as did the Biden administration. It now appears that Egypt aimed to conceal its involvement in Hamas’s smuggling and importing of weapons. The Biden administration may have also wished to maintain Egypt’s status as a U.S. ally.
Since commencing their operation in Rafah in early May, Israel has gained control over nearly the entire Philadelphi Corridor, the road along the Egypt-Gaza border. In the process, they have killed terrorists and destroyed tunnels and rocket launchers.
