Egypt authorities give Sarsouria residents 24-hour eviction notice

Egyptian authorities have given a 24-hour notice to residents of the Sarsouria neighborhood of Rafah town to evict their homes that would be demolished as part of the army's anti-tunnel campaign, residents said. "The army gave ultimatum to each owner of the 50 houses in the area, saying they are responsible for any harm that they would be subject to if they did not evict their homes in time," one resident told Anadolu Agency. Some residents used loudspeakers to call on the residents to rally to protect their homes. Sarsouria, which is about 250 meters away from Egypt's border with Gaza, houses several smuggling tunnels with the besieged Palestinian territory. Last week, tens of the area's residents staged a protest against an ongoing campaign of demolitions targeting their homes. According to protesters, at least 10 houses, out of a total of 50 in the whole area, have been demolished in recent days. Owners of houses built on tunnel holes said the army has been adopting a new tactic to combat tunnel smuggling by demolishing their homes. Last week, several such houses were brought down by army bulldozers, local residents say. The army said it destroyed 343 border tunnels linking Egypt to the Gaza Strip, 292 of which were flooded with water. The army's crackdown on Egypt-Gaza border tunnels has squeezed the beleaguered Gaza Strip, which relies heavily on goods smuggled from Egypt. According to a recent UN report, 80 percent of all tunnel transport activity has been brought to a halt as a result of the army's demolition activities.