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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Egypt uncovers three smuggling tunnels on border with Gaza |
| 2008-09-07 |
| Egyptian security forces on Saturday uncovered three smuggling tunnels on the border with the Gaza Strip, the Arabic daily Asharq Alawsat reported. The smugglers, who were reportedly attempting to sneak cellphones, food, and gasoline into the coastal territory, managed to flee and evade arrest. At a conference last week in Rafah to discuss the smuggling tunnels phenomenon, Hamas government officials made it clear that they mean to prevent any new tunnels from operating, and to increase oversight of some 200 tunnels already in use. Hamas wants to thwart use of the tunnels for drug smuggling, and the exploitation of child labor in digging the tunnels. The conference was organized by a Gazan human rights group under the banner: "The tunnels - advantages and disadvantages." Speakers, including Rafah Mayor Issa al-Nashar and Hamas' civil defense chief Yousef al-Zahar, praised the tunnels as important conduits for weapons for the "resistance," but also pointed to the dangers inherent in their operation. Nashar noted that numerous civilians were recently hurt by the collapse of tunnels in the Rafah area. He blamed some of these incidents on Egypt, which he accused of blowing up some tunnels and flooding others. Nashar demanded that a committee be appointed to supervise the materials entering Gaza through the tunnels, as well as the tunnel diggers' workload. Yousef al-Zahar reported that his personnel had recently participated in rescue efforts at 16 collapsed tunnels, in which 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured. He said there are four reasons tunnels collapse: a fuel leak (in which case the tunnel should not be used for six months because of flammable fumes), poison gas piped in (which Hamas accuses Egypt of doing), improper digging and water flooding. The national security commander for the border region, Ibrahim Abu al-Najar, reported that there are 200 tunnels in operation. He said that Hamas policemen are preventing new tunnels from opening, and are keeping an eye on the others to prevent drug smuggling. One of the tunnel proprietors at the conference estimated that the industry is providing employment for some 4,000 people. Arab sources say that children are frequently used in the digging process, and carry birds as an early-warning system to indicate a lack of oxygen. If the bird passes out, air is pumped into the tunnel. Various estimates put Hamas' monthly profits from the tunnels at $20 million. Hamas levies a special tax on tunnel proprietors, and also collect fees for every bit of contraband - whether goods or people (wanted gunmen, people who need to go abroad for study or medical treatments, etc.) Besides explosives and metals for fashioning rockets, the array of products smuggled through the tunnels is staggering: livestock, drugs, electrical appliances, fuel, cigarettes, clothing, toys and much more. |
| Posted by:Fred |