Soldier shot dead near Rafah
A Central Security soldier was allegedly shot dead by a smuggler in Sinai on Thursday, reported the state-run Middle East News Agency.
Islam Ramadan Said, 22, was reportedly killed as he tried to detain smugglers operating south of the Rafah border crossing, MENA said.
Smuggling is a thriving economic activity in Sinai due to the lack of job opportunities in the eastern peninsula. Illegally transporting goods from Egypt to Palestine through underground tunnels to Gaza has been a direct response to the blockade on the strip in force since the Hamas government took over in 2008. Human trafficking, particularly of African migrants to Israel, is also common in the region.
While the Egyptian authorities have attempted to limit smuggling activities to Gaza by destroying the tunnels, the underground movement still persists. Meanwhile, the authorities have paid scant attention to the trafficking of African migrants.
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