Egyptian authorities seized on Saturday 500 kg of TNT explosives and 10 mortars in Rafah city on the borders with the Gaza Strip, a security source said.

The explosives and mortars with Hebrew characters written on them were seized in two different places, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The security source said the explosives and mortars were intended to be transported to Gaza, adding that no suspect was arrested.

A week ago, Egypt confiscated 700 kg of explosives in a mountainous area near its border with Israel.

The Egyptian authorities said they had often raided weapons caches and seized explosives in northern Sinai, which were set to be sent to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip via underground tunnels.

Since the Islamic Hamas movement seized power in June 2007, Israel has sealed the impoverished Gaza Strip off from all but vital humanitarian aid and has strictly limited movement into and out of the coastal territory.

Egypt also sealed its border with Gaza and occasionally opens Rafah, the only Gaza gateway that bypasses Israel, to allow humanitarian aid in and medical cases out.

(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2009)