The smuggling is also being conducted while heavy fighting continues in the Sinai and elsewhere in Egypt between the Egyptian Army and Islamic State supporters. It has recently become clear to the Egyptians that one of the main smuggling tunnels being used by Islamic State is operating under the protection of Hamas and belongs to a smuggler who works with the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing.
Hamas has also been allowing the transfer of a great deal of armaments to the Sinai, in particular anti-tank missiles and improvised roadside bombs. These roadside bombs are a major challenge to the Egyptian Army; every week they inflict heavy casualties. The Egyptians are using various advanced technological means in an effort to solve the problem but have not yet succeeded in completely overcoming it. Some of these roadside bombs come from Gaza; others are assembled in the Sinai. Explosives experts from Hamas’s military wing have arrived in the Sinai to assist with the assembly of the devices.“ (Avi Issacharoff: „With plenty of Hamas help, IS deepens its war against Egypt“)
