EGYPT DEMOLISHES SINAI HOMES FOR GAZA BORDER BUFFER

EGYPT DEMOLISHES SINAI HOMES FOR 
GAZA BORDER BUFFER

Egypt has begun demolishing homes along its border with the Gaza Strip as part of a planned 500m buffer zone that is intended to prevent weapons smuggling.Residents living along the border with the Palestinian territory have been given 48 hours - and promised compensation - to leave their homes.The buffer will include water-filled trenches to prevent tunnelling.Egyptian media accuses Gaza's Hamas administration of aiding militants in Sinai. Hamas denies the charge.Last week, more than 30 Egyptian soldiers were killed in a militant bomb attack on an army post in Sinai.

After the bombing, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi passed a law authorising the military to protect state facilities - including power plants, main roads and bridges.He also declared a three-month state of emergency in Sinai. Critics of the move said it allows the army to return to the streets and brings back military trials for civilians.

                         Prof. John Kurakar