The Egyptian government on Tuesday ordered mass evacuation among residents living near the Palestinian border of Gaza Strip to curb militants from smuggling weapons through underground tunnels.

The plan is to build a 500-meter buffer zone that stretches out along the nine-mile border to serve as water-filled trenches.  The order came four days after a bombing incident in a military post in Sinai that killed at least 31 soldiers.

Like Us on Facebook

Authorities said that the evacuation is in part due efforts in preventing the use of tunnels for illegal activities.  Egyptian news agencies accused Hamas of helping militants transport weapons through the tunnels, but the group denied any participation.

Local police also suspended border crossings together with the implementation of dawn-to-dusk curfew.  The government gave 48-hour ultimatum for the evacuation but was suspended due to civilian protests.  Residents' groups are negotiating to extend the deadline.

Over 10,000 residents from 800 households are asked to vacate their homes in line with the government's stringent anti-terrorism efforts, according to a source who requested anonymity for safety.

The Gaza-Sinai tunnels have been crucial instruments in transporting products in and out of the cities in the early days.  But due the Egyptian government's struggle to combat Hamas, the tunnels have been used to aid militant activities, blockading economic growth.

Last week, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi placed Sinai under a state of emergency following several accounts of militant bombing and other terror acts.   Critics said that martial law was not the best move since it would only encourage unfair trial among civilians.

Some sources said that Hamas has been supporting Islamist rebel since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi last year.  The Muslim Brotherhood, to whom Morsi swore allegiance with, is tagged as a terrorist group.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the bombing last Friday even the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, who has been behind a series of attacks in the past.

Tagspolitics, War Conflict, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Islamist groups