2009 11 Nov

1,500 Tunnels Used To Smuggle Goods Into Gaza

In Gaza destitution is widespread. There is a demand for basic goods but they are in very short supply. Israel has placed blockades around the borders Gaza shares with other nations. So one of the best ways to move materials into Gaza is through tunnels.

In order to pull themselves out of poverty the Palestinians were advised to invest in the tunnels. Investors knew that these tunnels would help them out of poverty and provide the way to smuggle in basic goods. One town that has scores of these tunnels is Rafah which shares a border with Egypt.

There are a lot of tunnels but Israelis end up bombing many of them so there are always tunnels under construction. There is a lot of capital to be made from running a tunnel. lately two swindlers gathered currency from Palestinians in order to build a tunnel except that they vanished with anywhere from $100 million to $500 million. The money is gone and there is no tunnel.

Hamas has two suspects in custody but so far the money has not been recovered.. It’s not just investors that are losing out on the tunnels but also workers. One laborer didn’t get compensated for three months worth of work and doesn’t think he’ll ever get the money.

Tunnels may be money makers and life lines to the people in Gaza but they are also very unsafe. With Israel dropping bombs on the tunnels and a persistent threat of cave-ins tunnel runners are always in danger. These tunnels provide not only money and goods to Palestinians but they come with a price. One father stated “I want to go to the park at the end of the day, not go looking for my son inside a tunnel digging for a living and finding him dead inside the tunnel.”

There are literally hundreds of underground tunnels that link Egypt to Rafah and thousands of Palestinians working on smuggling merchandise into Gaza. Israel believes it’s necessary to end these tunnels because artillery are smuggled in, which may be true but the blockades are keeping Palestinians below the poverty line.

Unemployment in Gaza is up to 80 percent and as a result many are required to work in the tunnels. Even kids run away from home to work in these tunnels and are rapidly hired because many of the tunnels are only 4 feet tall inside. Children are also recruited to dig the tunnels and many are wounded or lost when the tunnel collapses with them inside. Nevertheless the risks are worth it for many children. One child recounted to have earned $100 a day for working in a tunnel.

It’s difficult for these children to refuse because they come from such underprivileged backgrounds. The money is what drives this business and many children get caught up in it. In this past year alone over 59 Palestinians have died in the tunnels, including children.

Diane Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah. She likes to write about the news, politics, online schools, online education, and the college experience.