GAZA — Continuous explosions conducted by the Egyptian army have been reducing Egyptian homes near the Gaza border to rubble. These explosions pulverize the homes, while some of the debris even reaches the wall separating the Egyptian and Palestinian sections of Rafah.

The purpose of these explosions is to destroy the underground tunnels connecting the two parts of Rafah.

The head of the Sinai Tribes Union, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Menaei, described the Egyptian army’s actions as “extremely dangerous and barbaric” since the army is demolishing the homes — complete with interior furnishings — of the citizens of Egyptian Rafah on the grounds that there are tunnels beneath them.

The tribes that form the union are at odds with the Egyptian army, which recently began to carry out military operations in the Sinai against so-called terrorists. Yet, according to Menaei, residents of the Sinai are not hostile to the army and they are not the source of terrorism and tensions. "People who came from outside the Sinai, and have been smuggling weapons into the region for two years, these are the two fighting the army," he said.