Egypt destroyed many of the smuggling tunnels that ran under the Egypt-Gaza border and used to transport commercial goods and weapons, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
Palestine’s Islamist Hamas government, who taxed the goods travelling through the tunnels, sees great economic losses. At the same time, Palestinians struggle to survive on U.N. handouts because prices of products have skyrocketed.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri attributed the controversy behind the humanitarian aid in Gaza to Egyptian conduct at the borders. “Most of the tunnels were demolished, and the few that remain open are paralyzed,” he said.
Israel strictly monitors imports to Gaza to prevent any arms from reaching Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel as a state. According to international law, the goods transported through the tunnels cannot be imported via Egypt.
Last year, Egypt began to limit use of the tunnels after jihadi militants allegedly coming through the tunnel from Gaza killed 16 Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai desert. Crackdown on the tunnels has increased since the Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was removed from office earlier this month.
Hamas economy minister Ala Al-Rafati said since the beginning of the tunnel closures in June, Gaza lost around $230 million, which is a tenth of the GDP. Gaza’s 1.7 million residents already suffer more than 30 percent unemployment.
The transport of weapons has ceased, which has set back Hamas’ rocket arsenal. Much-needed construction projects in Gaza are stopped because of the strict hold on imports via the tunnels.
Egypt has taken the stance that the tunnels and the flow of goods across the border inflict harm on both Egyptians and Palestinians.