Tunnels Still Being Dug In Gaza

The recent Israeli military incursion into Gaza bore hope it would destroy the tunnel system Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups use to smuggle weapons from Egypt.

However, the Middle East Newsline has revealed new tunnels have been designed to withstand Israeli air strikes and Egyptian search operations.

The new tunnels, built in daylight with earth-moving equipment, are longer and deeper to prevent either Egyptian or Israeli detection.

“Our business has gotten much more expensive,” a tunnel operator in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah confirmed.

The tunnel operators said Egyptian and Israeli efforts have raised tunnel costs as well as reduced orders by Gaza merchants for civilian goods from the neighboring Sinai Peninsula.

They said many merchants have been convinced Gaza’s borders would eventually reopen under any Hamas cease-fire accord with Israel.

Since the Hamas-Israel war ended on Jan. 18, operators said, smuggling profits have dropped by at least 50 percent. They said orders for smuggled goods from Egypt also declined by about half.

“The smugglers are much more careful and break up shipments to avoid detection,” another operator said. “This slows down traffic and makes things more expensive.”

The operators said the Hamas government has taken direct control of about 100 tunnels for such imports as weapons, electronics and fuel. They said Hamas smuggling employs different tunnels to avoid detection.

“Hamas has tightened security at their tunnels and operates secretly,” the operator said.

Over the last two weeks, Hamas has also overseen the distribution of gasoline around the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources said the huge influx of fuel smuggled from Egypt recently has driven legions of youngsters to the streets, where they sell containers of gasoline to drivers. They said the fuel was half the price of that charged by Israel in 2008.

Egyptian forces, guided by U.S. military trainers, have increased measures along the Sinai border. They said the Egyptians, said to have blocked about 20 tunnels this month, have been helped by the installation of surveillance cameras along the 8.6-mile border.

“Right now, the Egyptians are trying to stop us,” another operator said.

“But we know from the past that this changes rather quickly.”

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com