Border break bad for tunnel business

The entrepreneurial spirit no doubt triumphs in the end, but in the meantime it may encounter setbacks. From Ramattan News Agency:

"It is really a disaster for us, we do not know what to do, we lost lots of money," said Abu Yassine, a tunnel owner in the city of Rafah, south of Gaza.

Abu Yassine, 42, who has been working as smuggler two years and a half ago, feels so upset and disappointed after Palestinian militants blew up the border line with Egypt.

Last week, Palestinian militants blew down the border line between the Gaza Strip and Egypt letting hundreds of thousands to pour into Egypt and to buy food and essential materials.

Abu Yassine, declined to give the real name, says that all the goods used to be smuggled from under the ground, people bring them from the holes of the knocked down borders.

"In my last proposed deal I lost $ 150000, it was planned that I will receive 13 tons of food materials through tunnels, but two days before the borders were destroyed, and the food passed through the big holes in the smashed borders," He said.

He showed us his card of membership at "Palestinian Businessmen Association" in Gaza and covered the name with his thumb.

"I am a businessman, after the Israeli blockage I had no business, so I work in underground tunnels," he said.

Abu Yassine and his 7 team members work on the Palestinian tip of the tunnel while hundreds others work in other scores of tunnels along with the border line between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

"If the border line will be closed again I will resume smuggling and make money, but if they were still opened I will quit smuggling," he said.

Abu Yassine is not the only Palestinian who is "upset" because of tearing down the borders. Hundreds of Palestinians work in the "sector" of tunnels.

Before the explosion, Hamas militants called the owners of the tunnels and informed them two hours before the explosion to evacuate the tunnels from workers and goods as it is very possible that the tunnels would collapse, according to Abu Yassine.

At least two thousands of Palestinians in Rafah work in tunnels, as tens of smuggle tunnels link the two, Palestinian and Egyptian, parts of Rafah city. [...]

Two thousands, and now they are all out of work? There's your humanitarian crisis.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Technorati Tags: Israel, Palestinians, Gaza, Egypt, Rafah, tunnels

Powered by ScribeFire.