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Tunnels to Egypt Keep Hamas in Business

[Der Spiegel-Germany] Juliane von Mittelstaedt - Abu Ibrahim, 38, the king of the Gaza tunnel builders, is the richest man in Rafah and is believed to be worth millions. He drives a gold-colored Jeep and has built a multistory commercial building. Hamas owes its power in Gaza to Abu Ibrahim. It was Ibrahim who helped arm the Islamists and provided them with the weapons they have used since assuming power in June of last year. According to Israel, 175 tons of explosives have been smuggled into Gaza since June 2007, along with 10 million rounds of ammunition, tens of thousands of machine guns, grenades, land mines and precision-guided missiles. Abu Yakub, an assistant of Ibrahim, squats next to a new shaft where his men are in the process of digging a new tunnel. Using satellite images from Google Earth, they install power cables, oxygen lines and intercom systems underground. Hamas is believed to collect about $10,000 a day from the tunnel owners in the form of "usage fees," as well as "value-added taxes" - all payable in cash to armed money collectors who wait at the tunnel exits.
2008-08-08 01:00:00
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