Deteriorating Security in Sinai Destroys Trade, Livelihoods
The worsening security conditions in the Sinai and crackdowns on either side of the Egypt-Gaza border have made life worse on both sides.
RAFAH, Sinai — Every few days, an armored vehicle rolls past the entrance to Abou Yasser’s clothing shop in this city that straddles the border between Gaza and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, the police and military unaware of how he really makes a living.
For the past three years, Abou Yasser has moved diapers and milk through an underground tunnel into Gaza. Recently, however, his smuggling business has been hurt by Egyptian military efforts to restore security in the peninsula and quell terrorist threats — affecting business for Sinai smugglers while Gaza residents face greater shortages of food and supplies.
