[Ha'aretz] Avi Issacharoff - Arab sources report that Hamas recently laid a pipeline for supplying Gaza with fuel from Egypt through a tunnel dug specifically for this purpose. At a conference last week in Rafah organized by a Gazan human rights group under the banner: "The Tunnels - Advantages and Disadvantages," Rafah Mayor Issa al-Nashar and Hamas civil defense chief Yousef al-Zahar praised the tunnels as important conduits for weapons for the "resistance." The national security commander for the border region, Ibrahim Abu al-Najar, reported that there are 200 tunnels in operation. Hamas' monthly profit from the tunnels is estimated at $20 million. Hamas levies a special tax on tunnel proprietors, and also collects fees for every bit of contraband - whether goods or people.
2008-09-01 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive