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As Israeli Siege Strangles Gaza Strip, Hamas, Smugglers Profit Off Tunnels
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There, amid bullet-riddled concrete buildings and heaps of stinking trash, Hamas guards keep a close eye on the teams of tunnel diggers who push ever-deeper into the hot sands.
The tunnels are dug beneath white tents that resemble greenhouses, but there are few attempts to conceal what goes on within, and the guards do nothing to stop the work.
During cigarette breaks, tunnel workers freely discuss their jobs, complaining that the work is dirty, dangerous and low-paying. But they also say they have no choice.
"I used to own a clothes shop. But no one is buying because the clothes are too expensive and the people have no money," said Abu Saed, 22, his black jeans smothered in dust.
Instead, he now smuggles clothes.
The tunnels resemble mine shafts, descending deep into the ground -- about 75 feet -- until workers hit clay that's strong enough to hold together. They then snake horizontally to the southwest for as much as half a mile, coming up on the Egyptian side.
The tunnels are bolstered by slats of wood, and they include intercom systems, lights, storage rooms and automated pulley systems. But they are also vulnerable to collapse; almost every week, one does.
"Yesterday, my friend died. He was supposed to marry next week, but the sand collapsed over him," said Abbas Alakkad, 36, who also works in the tunnels.
Another danger is the tear gas. Egyptian border guards used to look the other way when it came to the tunnels, the workers said, but in recent weeks they have begun to crack down by lobbing gas canisters into tunnel openings.
Alakkad, a hulking man with muscled arms, said he makes only 50 shekels -- about $15 -- for a long day's work. The tunnel owners, by comparison, make tens of thousands of dollars a month.
"They are bloodsuckers," Alakkad said.
When he complains to Hamas officials about the poor conditions and low pay, Alakkad said, he always gets the same response. "They say they don't have anything to do with this," he said. "The government should prevent the people from getting injured. But because they are taking money from it, they don't care."
