Tunnels: Rafah, Gaza

Fourteen hundred and fifty tunnels, dug in the sands of Rafah, Gaza, travel under the Egyptian border and rise in Rafah, Egypt. These are the lifeline for the people of Gaza, who are living under an international blockade. Hard as it might be to believe, these tunnels bring everything from soap to cars into Gaza. They range from relatively rudimentary one-meter square tunnels, to what is described as "5-star tunnels", the two tunnels that Hamas owns and operates, that are used for transporting cars, rockets, weapons, and who knows what else.

Fields of tunnels in Rafah, Gaza.

According to one source I spoke with, 1000 cars on the streets of Gaza were transported through these tunnels. They are separated into four pieces on the Egyptian side, transported through the tunnels, and then welded and reconstructed on the Gaza side. My reliable source said he doesn't want one of these cars. They cost $30,000 and he would not trust them. (Not to mention the fact that, the car tunnel was bombed by Israel last week, and needs to be rebuilt.)

My friend's dream is to purchase a Mercedes from Saudi Arabia and have it delivered to Rafah, Egypt in December. Then, when the Free Gaza marchers amass on the Egyptian side of the border in late December to pressure for the end of the blockade of Gaza, the Egyptians will open the border and he can drive his new Mercedes into Gaza. Is this a pipedream or reasonable optimism?

But, to get back to my story: On October 4^th, I had a chance to visit the tunnels and speak to some of the workers. My driver stopped at one of the tunnels. As with all of the tunnels, a tent was erected to protect this tunnel and its workers from inclement weather and snooping eyes. My translator asked if we could go inside the tent to take a look at the tunnel and ask questions. The workers agreed to let us approach, but told us not to bring the camera into the tent. This tunnel was no five-star tunnel. The entrance and footprint were about a meter square, dug cleanly into the sand. (The ground in Gaza is sand, not clay. Many tunnel workers have been killed in cave-ins. The sand that is dug out of the tunnels is then sold to builders to use in construction, but some piles of sand remain around each tunnel). The tunnel workers would not allow us to photograph the tunnel, however, a great picture that shows exactly what this tunnel looked like can be found in Confessions of a Rafah Tunnel Worker.

The streets of Gaza are teeming with motorcycles brought through the tunnels. They have become the "thing to have" and you can see motorcycles with individuals or with families (husband, wife, and baby) on them, flying through the streets of Gaza, with total disregard of street laws. No helmets, many motorcyclists have no driving license, and in some cases their motorcycles have no license plates. My translator, Fadi, reported that about a month ago the Hamas government announced that they would start enforcing laws on these motorcyclists.