BREAKING NEWS

Egypt rejects claims that it gassed Gaza tunnels

An Egyptian intelligence official on Thursday denied allegations leveled by Hamas that Egypt pumped gas into a cross-border tunnel used to smuggle goods into the Gaza Strip, killing four Palestinians.
Egypt has been under pressure to shut down the hundreds of tunnels that are a key economic lifeline for the Palestinian territory but which are also used to bring in weapons for Hamas.
The intelligence official confirmed that Egyptian security forces destroyed the entrances to several tunnels this week, but said that no gas was used in the operations. He said that Egypt routinely blows up the mouths to the tunnels to seal them off, and that the blast and an ensuing fire could quickly use up all the oxygen in the confined space, causing people caught inside to suffocate.