The newspaper “Israel Hayom” published extensive material on the problems associated with the Philadelphia Corridor.
Under President Hosni Mubarak, except for a brief period when the tunnels were destroyed by the IDF and the Egyptian army, an organized smuggling scheme was established linking Iran to Egypt via the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
The smuggling route led through the deserts of Sudan and Egypt, then through the Sinai Peninsula and into Gaza. Subsequently, Islamist groups in Libya created an additional smuggling channel for ISIS terrorists in Sinai, who were collaborating with the Hamas terrorist organization.
Under President Morsi, who represents the Muslim Brotherhood, the Philadelphia Corridor and its tunnels flourished. Today, under President El-Sisi, the situation depends on how he currently assesses Egyptian interests.
Tunnels were dug in the basements of houses, gardens and olive groves. The process of creating each tunnel took from two weeks to two months, and the owners of the houses or land through which they passed received a share of the profits obtained from smuggling.
Most of the smuggling activities were controlled by the Bedouin clans of Abu Samhadan and Abu Rish, who were reaping huge profits. The construction of an average tunnel cost around $100,000, with an average daily turnover of half a million shekels.
Egypt cannot therefore be seen as an honest broker or a reliable observer, especially considering the history of the Philadelphia Corridor and the neglect of the dire statements by senior representatives of the Al-Azhar Academy who promised the complete destruction of Israel, describing it as “a cancer in the heart of the Islamic Arab nation.”
Egypt is currently rejecting any US proposal for even a minimal Israeli presence along the Philadelphia Corridor. Prime Minister Netanyahu is quite right in refusing to rely again on sensors, electronic systems or cameras.
These funds failed to prevent the capture of the Rafah checkpoint by Hamas terrorists and did not stop the events of October 7, but only recorded their failures, which was of no practical use. That the Egyptians oppose any IDF involvement in the new Philadelphia Corridor plan is suspicious and may indicate long-term trends that Israel chooses to ignore.
Kursor previously wrote that Israeli control of the Philadelphia Axis remains key to blocking arms supplies to the Hamas terrorist organization, despite complex political and operational realities.
