The Egypt–Gaza barrier is a steel border barrier constructed by Egypt along its 14 kilometres (7.5 miles) border with the Gaza Strip. The Rafah border crossing is the only border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. In December 2009, with help from the United States, Egypt started building a steel wall along the Gaza border. If it is finished, the wall will be 10–11 km (6–7 miles) long and extend 18 metres (60 feet) below the surface. The wall was to be completed in 18 months. On 29 October 2014, Egypt began demolishing homes on its side of the border with the Gaza Strip as part of a planned 500 metres (550 yards) buffer zone intended to prevent weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip. In February 2020, Egypt began building a new 3 kilometre (2 mile) concrete wall along its border with the Gaza Strip, from Gaza's southeastern tip at Kerem Shalom (Karam Abu Salem) to the Rafah border crossing. The new wall is in addition to the old wall, and will not be more than 8 metres from the old one. Both walls are within Egyptian territory. The wall will be 7 metres high and will be equipped with electronic sensors. Technical aspects The project has received technical cooperation from the United States and France. Egypt reinforced the border with several hundred troops to protect construction crews from Palestinian sniper attacks. Palestinian sources said that construction of the barrier was damaging dozens of smuggling tunnels as deep as 30 meters (100 feet), causing them to collapse on a nearly daily basis and killing operators, especially tunnels near the Rafah border terminal. They added that most of the 1,500 tunnels between Gaza and Egypt remained unaffected. The sources also stated that the project has alarmed the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip, which charges an annual $2,500 for the right to operate a tunnel. Smuggling tunnels In January 2008, Palestinian militants breached several parts of the wall bordering the town of Rafah. Thousands of Gazans flowed into Egypt in search of food and supplies. According to analysts at a January 2010 Egyptian security conference, the barrier reflects Egypt's concern that al-Qaeda-inspired militants from the Gaza Strip will infiltrate Egypt after being forced out by Hamas, the de facto governing authority in the Strip, which Israel considers a terrorist group, along with the EU, USA, Egypt and others. The analysts