Security services have nearly completed the second stage of the buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza, which aims to tighten security and help eliminate the numerous cross-border smuggling tunnels, Al-Masry Al-Youmreports.

In remarks on Monday, a security source in North Sinai said that the tunnels, which extend more than 2 km from the border and are used by militants, "are dangerous because they are technically equipped.” He added that these tunnels are outfitted with phone lines and other means of communications to link armed group cells, which is why demolishing the tunnels is a priority.

The second stage of the buffer zone, created to protect Egypt from militant encroachment, has involved the destruction of more than 1,150 out of a total of 1,220 houses near the border with Gaza. The third phase, of which residents in the area were informed late March, will further expand the buffer zone, forcing even more people to lose their homes.

“The government will definitely expand the area of the buffer zone to start the third phase, which includes an additional 1,000 meters, in order to guarantee the destruction of the border tunnels and prevent armed groups from using them for attacks against police and military," added the source.

Despite Egypt's moves to secure its border with Gaza, Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty had previously indicated that these actions would not solve the underlying issues in the area.