Four Palestinians died and a number of people were injured when a tunnel used for smuggling goods between Egypt and the Gaza Strip collapsed. The cause of the accident is not yet clear.
Egypt has been trying to destroy the network of tunnels used to smuggle arms, fuel, and cars into the Palestinian territory. Some witnesses claimed, according to AFP, that the tunnel collapsed after an explosion on Egyptian side.
Egyptian officials said they closed down four tunnels, but were unaware of any casualties.
Some reports using Hamas officials’ statements say gas pumped into the tunnels by Egyptians caused the casualties.
The official borders between Gaza and Israel, and Gaza and Egypt have been closed since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. Since then, the tunnels have been used to circumvent the blockade to bring supplies into the area.
Medics in the area report that 120 Palestinians have died in regular cave-ins of the tunnels. Egypt is building a steel wall 59 feet into the ground and roughly seven miles long in an attempt to stop the tunneling.
Egypt has been trying to destroy the network of tunnels used to smuggle arms, fuel, and cars into the Palestinian territory. Some witnesses claimed, according to AFP, that the tunnel collapsed after an explosion on Egyptian side.
Egyptian officials said they closed down four tunnels, but were unaware of any casualties.
Some reports using Hamas officials’ statements say gas pumped into the tunnels by Egyptians caused the casualties.
The official borders between Gaza and Israel, and Gaza and Egypt have been closed since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. Since then, the tunnels have been used to circumvent the blockade to bring supplies into the area.
Medics in the area report that 120 Palestinians have died in regular cave-ins of the tunnels. Egypt is building a steel wall 59 feet into the ground and roughly seven miles long in an attempt to stop the tunneling.
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