RAFAH: An Egyptian security official says another underground tunnel has been found just a few meters away from the Egypt-Gaza border.

The official says the tunnel appears to have been used to smuggle weapons and contraband between Egypt and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. It was detected early Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media.

Egypt has been grappling with the issue of border security for months, promising to curb the illegal trade amid rising pressure from the US and Israel.

But recent reports confirm that dozens of passageways have resumed operations after the re-closing of the Rafah crossing, following the Hamas-engineered border breach in January.