Khet route

Khet route (ציר ה-ח') is the name given by the Israeli security forces to refer the route used by terrorists and smugglers to penetrate into Israel. The name given to this route stems from the Hebrew letter Khet which resembles the shape of the route.

The route starts from the Gaza Strip, goes through secret Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels below the Philadelphi Route, then goes through the Sinai Peninsula (where occasionally the militants would receive assistance from Bedouin locals), and afterwards goes into Israel through a section of the Israeli–Egyptian border which has no security fence.

The route is mainly used by Bedouin smugglers, but also by armed militants seeking to carry out terror attacks, some of whom are caught by the Israeli Border Police.

On January 29, 2007 (Eilat bakery bombing) and on August 18, 2011 (2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks), terrorist attacks were carried out in southern Israel by perpetrators who got into Israel through this route.