Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the security situation in the Sinai and its impact on the military capability of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptians have been carrying out operations against violent extremists in the Sinai since late 2013. We understand that as part of those operations the Egyptian Armed Forces have destroyed the majority of the tunnels between Sinai and Gaza. This is likely to have reduced significantly the smuggling of weapons to Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.