View source for Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels

{{Short description|Smuggling tunnels dug along the Egypt–Gaza border}}
{{Distinguish|Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
[[File:Smuggling tunnel in Rafah (2009).jpg|thumb|right|235px|Smuggling tunnel in Rafah, 2009. ]] {{gaza blockade}}
The '''Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels''' are [[smuggling tunnel]]s that had been dug under the [[Philadelphi Corridor|Philadelphi Route]] along the [[Egypt–Gaza border]]. They were dug to subvert the [[blockade of the Gaza Strip]] to smuggle in fuel, food, weapons and other goods into the [[Gaza Strip]]. After the [[Egypt–Israel peace treaty]] of 1979, the town of [[Rafah]], in the southern Gaza Strip, was split by this buffer zone. One part is located in the southern part of Gaza, and [[Rafah, Egypt|the smaller part of the town]] is in Egypt. After Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the Philadelphi Corridor was placed under the control of the [[Palestinian Authority]] until 2007, when [[Battle of Gaza (2007)|Hamas seized power in 2007]], and Egypt and Israel closed their borders with the Gaza Strip.<ref name="BBC" /><ref name="HT" >[http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070919/ZNYT03/709190878/1006/SPORTS Isolation of Gaza Chokes Off Trade] {{Webarchive| url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150924063012/http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070919/ZNYT03/709190878/1006/SPORTS | date= 24 September 2015 }}. Steven Erlanger. ''Herald Tribune'', 19 September 2007.</ref>

In 2009, Egypt began the construction of [[Anti-tunnel barrier along the Gaza–Israel border|an underground barrier]] to block existing tunnels and make new ones harder to dig. In 2011, Egypt relaxed restrictions at its border with the Gaza Strip, allowing Palestinians to cross freely.<ref name="BBC" >[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13581141 Egypt eases blockade at Gaza's Rafah border] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110529022234/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13581141 |date=29 May 2011 }} ''[[BBC News]]'', 28 May 2011.</ref> In 2013–2014, [[Egyptian Armed Forces|Egypt's military]] destroyed most of the 1,200 smuggling tunnels.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-hamas-idUSBREA230F520140304 Egypt bans Hamas activities in Egypt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025194409/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/04/us-egypt-hamas-idUSBREA230F520140304 |date=25 October 2014 }}. Reuters. 4 March 2014</ref>

==Background==

The Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels are tunnels across the [[Gaza–Egypt border]], used to bypass the [[Rafah Border Crossing]], which is used for exceptional cases only, when opened at all. The first recorded discovery of a tunnel by Israel was in 1983, after Israel had withdrawn from the Sinai.<ref name=tunnel_phenomenon>[http://www.palestine-studies.org/jps/fulltext/42605 ''Gaza's Tunnel Phenomenon: The Unintended Dynamics of Israel's Siege''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924064745/http://www.palestine-studies.org/jps/fulltext/42605 |date=24 September 2015 }}. Nicolas Pelham, Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol 41, no. 4 (Summer 2012)</ref> The border, redrawn in 1982 after the [[Egypt–Israel peace treaty]],<ref>Yale Law School. ''The Avalon Project'' [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/isregypt.asp  Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt – 26 March 1979] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531233125/http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/isregypt.asp |date=31 May 2013 }}.</ref> divided [[Rafah]] into an Egyptian and a Gazan part. The tunnels used to start from the basements of houses in Rafah on the one side of the border and end in houses in Rafah on the other side.<ref name=tunnel_phenomenon/>

By  September 2005, after  withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, Israel declared that  Palestinians would not have control of their side of the crossing, and the Rafah crossing should be closed. During the rest of the year Egypt opened and closed the crossing intermittently. In November 2005, two agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority permitted the reopening of the crossing with third-party European Union assistance. However, the movement of people were very restricted and  goods  would use the [[Kerem Shalom]] crossing, under the supervision of Israelis and monitored by EU monitors. In 2006, the Rafah crossing was opened to June. During the rest of the year it was open during 31 days at random.<ref name="Sull" />

In June 2007, [[Battle of Gaza (2007)|Hamas took over the Gaza Strip]]. Following the takeover, Egypt and Israel largely sealed their [[border crossing]]s with Gaza, on the grounds that the Palestinian Authority had fled and was no longer providing security on the Palestinian side.<ref name="nytimes.com/">Isabel Kershner. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/world/middleeast/14mideast.html Abbas’s Premier Tells Israel to Reopen Gaza] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130045542/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/world/middleeast/14mideast.html |date=30 November 2011 }}. [[New York Times]]. 14 December 2007.</ref> The [[Karni crossing|Karni]] and Rafah checkpoints were closed again, resulting in "severe personal and economic hardship for Gaza's 1.4 million population", according to [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|OCHA]]. Thousands of travelers have been stranded on both sides of the border.<ref name="Sull">Sullivan, Denis Joseph;  Jones, Kimberly A. (ed.) [https://books.google.com/books?id=fGWiXfGrBWAC&dq=philadelphi+corridor+split+Rafah&pg=PA116 Global ''Security Watch – Egypt: A Reference Handbook'', "The Rafah Crossing – The Border with Gaza"], pp. 116–118. ABC-CLIO, 2008</ref>

The [[blockade of the Gaza Strip]] has caused a shortage of certain basic products, especially construction materials, fuel, some consumer articles, and medicines and medical supplies.<ref name=MSF>[http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/gaza-chronic-shortages-drugs-and-medical-supplies ''Gaza: Chronic Shortages of Drugs and Medical Supplies''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426232312/http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/gaza-chronic-shortages-drugs-and-medical-supplies |date=26 April 2014 }}. Doctors Without Borders, 16 November 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=648274 ''PCHR: Gaza leukemia patients without medicine for 11 months''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215541/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=648274 |date=26 April 2014 }}. Ma'an News Agency, 21 November 2013</ref> Import restrictions, including of basic building materials, have led to the proliferation of tunnels under the border with Egypt.<ref>[https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/D8FEC28D9B541E8D85257A1D004E5BB0 ''Five years of blockade''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020045440/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/D8FEC28D9B541E8D85257A1D004E5BB0 |date=20 October 2013 }}. OCHAoPt, June 2012</ref><ref name=Gisha>[http://gisha.org/updates/1935 ''Ongoing updates: Rafah Crossing, tunnels, and the situation in Gaza''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234206/http://gisha.org/updates/1935 |date=26 April 2014 }}. Gisha, 27 August 2013</ref> As Israel limits the [[Palestinian freedom of movement]], for most Gazans the tunnels are the only way to move from and to Gaza.

== Use ==
The tunnels were used to smuggle a wide range of goods, including fuel, gas, cement, construction materials, raw materials, pesticides, seeds, agricultural tools, preservatives, packaging material, spare parts, livestock, zoo animals, food, medicines, clothes, car parts, building supplies, weapons and luxury items in general.<ref name=unctad-2015>[http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/tdb62d3_en.pdf ''Report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people: Developments in the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003183453/https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/tdb62d3_en.pdf |date=3 October 2020 }}, pp. 13-14. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 6 July 2015 (doc.nr. TD/B/62/3). [http://unctad.org/en/Pages/PressRelease.aspx?OriginalVersionID=260 Source] </ref><ref name=CBS>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israels-gaza-blockade-baffles-both-sides/ ''Israel's Gaza Blockade Baffles Both Sides''] . CBS News, 28 May 2010.</ref> Initially, the tunnels were used for moving consumer goods and [[pharmaceutical drug|medicines]]. During the [[First Intifada]] (December 1987 to 1993), some, more secret, tunnels were said to be used by militant groups to bring in arms and money.<ref>[http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=680987 ''Egypt 'destroys 1,370 Gaza smuggling tunnels,' says army''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215149/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=680987 |date=26 April 2014 }}. Ma'an News Agency, 13 March 2014</ref><ref name="Sull" />

A 2015 report of the [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development]] (UNCTAD) noted that between 2007 and 2013, more than 1,532 tunnels were running under the border to mitigate the impact of the blockade on Gaza. They were closed by mid-2013. The size of the tunnel trade was even greater than the volume of trade through official channels. The tunnels had been essential to recover from the destructions during the [[Gaza War (2008–09)|2008/2009 Gaza War]]. Based on the materials allowed in by Israel, it would have taken 80 years to rebuild the 6,000 housing units destroyed during the military operation. Due to the tunnel imports, it only took five years.  Gaza's sole power plant ran on diesel from Egypt brought through the tunnels in the range of 1 million litres per day before
June 2013. In 2015. UNCTAD reported that the end of the tunnel economy highlighted an urgent need for the complete and immediate lifting of Israel's blockade on Gaza.<ref name=unctad-2015/>

=== Construction materials ===
Israel restricts the importation of construction materials into the strip, to prevent their use for military purposes by Hamas. As a result, concrete and other construction materials were some of the main goods smuggled through the tunnels.<ref name=Gisha/><ref name="Ben-David">{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-07-20/israel-gaza-ground-war-puts-maze-of-attack-tunnels-in-its-sights|title=Maze of Secret Gaza Tunnels Targeted by Israel Offensive|first=Calev|last=Ben-David|website=[[Bloomberg News]] |access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref>

=== Fuel ===
Smuggling fuel through the tunnels has been the primary source of fuel for Gaza's only power plant. Electricity is needed for the [[Water supply and sanitation in the Palestinian territories#Water desalination|desalination of drinking water]]. After Egypt demolished hundreds of tunnels in 2013 and Israel closed the [[Kerem Shalom Crossing]], a shortage in fuel caused the shut down of the power plant.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.565851 ''Gaza's only power plant shuts down over fuel shortage, official says''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427013039/http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.565851 |date=27 April 2014 }}. Haaretz, 27 December 2013</ref>

Increased fuel shortages and high prices, due to the intensified anti-tunnels measures by the Egyptian government under President [[Abdel Fattah el-Sisi]], halted the functioning of sewage treatment facilities in Gaza in 2014. Untreated waste water was pumped into the Gaza shore, causing serious environment pollution and swimming prohibition at the beaches.<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/In-Gaza-sewage-stains-beaches-and-piles-of-garbage-mount-on-streets-360915 ''In Gaza, sewage stains beaches and piles of garbage mount on streets''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630075134/http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/In-Gaza-sewage-stains-beaches-and-piles-of-garbage-mount-on-streets-360915 |date=30 June 2014 }}. Reuters, 30 June 2014</ref>

=== Transport of people ===
Facing the restriction of the [[Palestinian freedom of movement]], an advanced system of human transport has been established, including the issue of tickets which serve as a travel permit. A travel ticket from and to Gaza may cost between $30 and $300 (2012), depending on the provided service. As of 2012, travelling by car was possible. Travelling through the tunnels was popular during Ramadan in 2012. As travelling through the Israeli crossings is only permitted by exception, and the [[Rafah Crossing]] is opened for limited periods, if opened at all, the tunnels have often become the only outlet for the strip's residents<ref>[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/gaza-tunnels-heavy-traffic-in-ramadan/ ''Gaza Tunnels: Heavy Traffic in Ramadan''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215516/https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/gaza-tunnels-heavy-traffic-in-ramadan/ |date=26 April 2014 }}. Taghrid Atallah, Occupied Palestine, 23 July 2012 (translated from Arabic Edition)</ref>

===Use of child labor===

According to an article by Nicolas Pelham in the IPS ''[[Journal of Palestine Studies]]'', child labor is employed in the smuggling tunnels with the justification that children are more "nimble." Despite calls from human rights groups for the Gaza government to stop the practice, regulation of child labor is lax.<ref name=tunnel_phenomenon/>

Benjamin Netanyahu used the IPS publication to document his claim that "Hamas puts children to work in terror tunnels, sending them to their death." The claim was widely used by numerous pro-Israeli media outlets.<ref name=ips-response>[http://palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/response%20to%20netanyahu%20and%20correction%2028%20Aug%2014.pdf ''A response to Netanyahu and a Correction from the Journal of Palestine Studies''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325174246/http://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/response%20to%20netanyahu%20and%20correction%2028%20Aug%2014.pdf |date=25 March 2016 }}. Institute for Palestine Studies, 21 August 2014</ref> In a response to Netanyahu, [[Institute for Palestine Studies]] recalled that the tunnels were regulated by but largely ''not'' owned or operated by Hamas, and were a "response to Israel’s imposition of a draconian blockade that drastically controls and at times has banned almost all goods entering the territory, from construction materials, and gasoline, down to such items as pasta." The response further stated that "Pelham never suggests, as the prime minister seemed to imply in his comments, that children were ever used to build tunnels for military purposes, least of all into Israel", although "Hamas, as the governing authority in Gaza, did not implement its own directives to prevent the use of child labor". The Institute corrected an error in the article: There had not been at least 160 children been killed in the tunnels, according to Hamas officials, but rather 160 ''persons'' as of 2012. IPS noted that more than 541 were children and some 3084 wounded by the Israeli bombing in the [[2014 Israel–Gaza conflict]] that was ongoing at the time.<ref name=ips-response/>

== Construction ==
[[File:War in Gaza 057 - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg|thumb|Entry of a Gaza smuggling tunnel]]
The tunnels are normally dug by individual contractors from basements of houses or an [[olive grove]] under the border at depths of up to 30 meters (100 feet),<ref name="Ben-David"/> and reaching up to 800 meters (2640&nbsp;feet) in length. In many cases, the owners of the houses enter into a business arrangement with the tunnel builders. They may receive a portion of the profits from the smuggling or some other sort of financial compensation from those who contract the tunnel construction.<ref>''Times Online'': [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article4228420.ece "In the tunnels of Gaza, smugglers risk death for weapons and profit"]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> While many tunnels are of a generally high quality of engineering and construction – with some including electricity, ventilation, intercoms, and a rail system – they are still very dangerous and are prone to cave-ins.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20672483 Unusual Jobs Highlight Restricted Choices of Gaza Youth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213215658/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20672483 |date=13 February 2021 }}. [[BBC News]], 11 December 2012.</ref> The openings to many tunnels are found within buildings in or around Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah.<ref name="CRS1"/>

==Measures taken against smuggling tunnels==

=== Measures taken by Israel ===
:''See also [[Gaza War (2008–2009)]] (IDF "Operation Cast Lead"), [[March 2012 Gaza–Israel clashes]] (IDF "Operation Returning Echo"), November [[2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip]] (IDF "Operation Pillar of Defense"), [[2014 Gaza War]] (IDF "Operation Protective Edge"), [[2021 Israel–Palestine crisis]] (IDF "Operation Guardian of the Walls"), [[Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)]] (IDF "Operation Swords of Iron")''

Israel has destroyed hundreds of homes along the Gaza–Egypt border to enlarge the [[Gaza–Egypt border#Buffer zone|buffer zone]], asserting that they were used to hide smugglers' tunnels.<ref>[http://articles.philly.com/2004-05-19/news/25381880_1_jacob-dallal-israeli-army-israeli-soldiers 'Philadelphi Road' travels deadly Gaza terrain Israel is knocking down nearby houses that the army says are used to hide smugglers' tunnels.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062832/http://articles.philly.com/2004-05-19/news/25381880_1_jacob-dallal-israeli-army-israeli-soldiers |date=4 March 2016 }} By Michael Matza. ''[[Philly.com]]'', 19 May 2004.</ref>  The [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF) maintain that this was done in order to prevent smuggling tunnels, and that incursions into Rafah and the destruction of tunnels and/or shafts under homes was the most effective means to close the tunnels down. An IDF spokeswoman has stated that in destroying tunnels, the IDF exercises "the utmost care to pinpoint the tunnels and do as little damage as possible".<ref name= hrw>[https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/6.htm#_Toc84676183 Razing Rafah: Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311014000/https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/6.htm#_Toc84676183 |date=11 March 2016 }}, [[Human Rights Watch]].</ref>

Israel, Egypt, the United States, and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries have pledged to stop or slow smuggling to Gaza by land and sea.<ref name= CRS1/> 
[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Tunnel Found Near Egyptian Border.jpg|thumb|right|Tunnel found near Egyptian border by Israeli forces, October 2006]]

Although Israeli air strikes rendered over 100 tunnels inoperative during [[Operation Pillar of Defense]], many of them were restored within a few weeks because the main damage was sustained at the openings, not in the middle sections.<ref name= CRS1>{{CRS|article= Jim Zanotti. Hamas: Background and Issues for Congress  |url= http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R41514.pdf}}</ref>

During the [[2014 Israel–Gaza conflict]], Israel launched a ground offensive into Gaza with the primary objective being to fully destroy the [[Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip|cross border tunnels]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/29/world/middleeast/tunnels-lead-right-to-heart-of-israeli-fear.html|title=Tunnels Lead Right to the Heart of Israeli Fear|date=29 July 2014|work=The New York Times|access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref> In total 31 tunnels were destroyed during the weeks the IDF was in Gaza.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/At-least-160-children-died-digging-tunnels-for-Hamas-369138|title=At least 160 children died digging tunnels for Hamas|access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref>

On 11 August 2014 the IDF announced they had successfully tested a system that could be used to detect these tunnels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/37444-140717-israel-tests-system-to-detect-hamas-tunnels|title=Israel tests system to detect Hamas tunnels|access-date=4 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814222422/http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/37444-140717-israel-tests-system-to-detect-hamas-tunnels|archive-date=14 August 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> This new system uses a combination of sensors and special transmitters to locate tunnels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jspacenews.com/israel-tests-new-terror-tunnel-detection-system/|title=Israel Tests New Terror Tunnel Detection System|date=17 July 2014|access-date=4 July 2016|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814225238/http://www.jspacenews.com/israel-tests-new-terror-tunnel-detection-system/|archive-date=14 August 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The IDF expects development to cost up to NIS 1.5 billion, and could be deployed within the year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/IDF-successfully-tests-system-designed-to-detect-terror-tunnels-370754|title = IDF successfully tests system designed to detect terror tunnels}}</ref>{{and then what|date=October 2023}}

=== Measures taken by Egypt ===
Some measures such as Egypt's construction of an underground fence along its side of the Gaza–Egypt border have been taken. In late 2009 Egypt started construction of a subterranean barrier in an attempt to curb the use of smuggling tunnels. Nevertheless, anti-smuggling capabilities remain limited and constrained.<ref name="CRS1"/>

In 2010, Egypt sprayed toxic gas into the tunnels, killing four Palestinians.<ref>[http://www.imemc.org/article/58550 ''Four Killed, Nine Wounded, After Being Gassed In Tunnel By Egypt''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426202317/http://www.imemc.org/article/58550 |date=26 April 2014 }}. IMEMC, 29 April 2010</ref>

In 2011, Egypt began sealing a series of smugglers’ tunnels between its border and the Gaza Strip.<ref name="WP" >{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/egyptian-military-begins-closing-smuggling-tunnels-near-gaza/2011/09/04/gIQANvy31J_story.html|title=Egyptian military begins closing smuggling tunnels near Gaza|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref> The Egyptian army has increased its deployment along its border since 5 August 2012, when 16 Egyptian border police were killed in a terror attack. Since then there have been reports that the Egyptian army has been destroying smuggling tunnels by flooding them.<ref name="Reuters" >[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-egypt-tunnels-idUSBRE91C0RF20130213 Egypt floods Gaza tunnels to cut Palestinian lifeline] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904073938/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-egypt-tunnels-idUSBRE91C0RF20130213 |date=4 September 2021 }}. Reuters, 13 February 2013.</ref>

In 2013, following the [[2013 Egyptian coup d'état]] that ousted the pro-Hamas government, the Egyptian army has destroyed many of the tunnels, with the effect that "prices have soared, shelves are empty, utilities have suspended operations for lack of fuel and travel is restricted once again".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Not at the table |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2013/08/03/not-at-the-table |access-date=2024-07-10 |work=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

In 2013, the Egyptian military started resorting to a pungent new tactic to shut down the smuggling tunnels connecting Sinai and Gaza: flooding them with sewage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/world/middleeast/egypts-floods-smuggling-tunnels-to-gaza-with-sewage.html|title=To Block Gaza Tunnels, Egypt Lets Sewage Flow|date=21 February 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref>

Smuggling tunnels and the various methods different countries have used to address the types of threats tunnels pose to national security has been discussed in the literature.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Lichtenwald |first1= Terrance G. |last2=Perri |first2= Frank S. |title= Terrorist Use of Smuggling Tunnels |journal= International Journal of Criminology and Sociology |date=2013 |volume=2 |pages= 210–226 |doi= 10.6000/1929-4409.2013.02.21 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268576567|doi-access= free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Lichtenwald |first1= Terrance G. |last2= Perri |first2= Frank S. |title= Smuggling Tunnels : The Need for a Transnational Analysis |journal= Inside Homeland Security |date=2011 |volume=9 |issue=1 |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268576644}}</ref>

After President el-Sisi assumed leadership of Egypt in 2013, the Egyptian Army launched an aggressive campaign of destroying tunnels between Gaza and Egyptian territory. As of August 2014, the Egyptian Military destroyed 1,659 smuggling tunnels.<ref>[http://www.timesofisrael.com/egyptian-army-destroys-13-more-gaza-tunnels/ Egyptian army destroys 13 more Gaza tunnels] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728102725/http://www.timesofisrael.com/egyptian-army-destroys-13-more-gaza-tunnels/ |date=28 July 2014 }} Egyptian army destroys 13 more Gaza tunnels; Cairo has eliminated 1,639 tunnels that run into Sinai thus far By AFP 27 July 2014.</ref>

Palestinian President [[Mahmoud Abbas]] agreed with the destruction of smuggling tunnels, arguing that they had produced 1,800 millionaires, and were used for smuggling weapons, drugs, cash and equipment for forging documents. Abbas had previously recommended the sealing or destruction of the tunnels by flooding them and then punishing the owners of the homes that contained entrances to the tunnels, including demolishing their homes.<ref name=haaretz_abbas>[https://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/.premium-1.629397 Abbas: Egypt Right to Create Buffer Zone on Gaza Border] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820105818/https://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/.premium-1.629397 |date=20 August 2015 }}. Jack Khoury, Haaretz, 1 December 2014 (premium).<br>″Abbas believed the destruction of the tunnels was the best solution. The Palestinian president said he had recommended previously the sealing or destruction of the tunnels by flooding them and then punishing the owners of the homes that contained entrances to the tunnels, including demolishing their homes.″</ref><ref name=memo_tunnels_flooded>[https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/21303-sisi-says-gaza-tunnels-flooded-in-coordination-with-pa Sisi says Gaza tunnels flooded in coordination with PA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105614/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/21303-sisi-says-gaza-tunnels-flooded-in-coordination-with-pa |date=4 March 2016 }}. MEMO, 28 September 2015</ref>

On 11 September 2015, the Egyptian army began to pump water from the Mediterranean Sea into the tunnels. A number of Palestinian factions condemned the flooding of the border with sea water, because it posed a serious threat to the environment and ground water.<ref name=memo_factions_condemn_flooding>[https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/21203-palestinian-factions-condemn-egypt-flooding-gaza-borders Palestinian factions condemn Egypt flooding Gaza borders] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092947/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/21203-palestinian-factions-condemn-egypt-flooding-gaza-borders |date=4 March 2016 }}. MEMO, 21 September 2015</ref> In February 2016, it was reported that the flooding was creating an environmental disaster and having a catastrophic effect on the basic livelihoods of millions of Palestinians.<ref name=memo_situation_deteriorating>[https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/23819-the-situation-on-the-gaza-sinai-border-is-deteriorating-claims-security-official ''The situation on the Gaza-Sinai border is ‘deteriorating’, claims security official''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160210092030/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/23819-the-situation-on-the-gaza-sinai-border-is-deteriorating-claims-security-official |date=10 February 2016 }}. MEMO, 9 February 2016</ref>

According to Egyptian President el-Sisi, flooding of the tunnels had been carried out in coordination with the Palestinian Authority.<ref name=memo_tunnels_flooded/> On 6 February 2016, Israeli Minister [[Yuval Steinitz]] said that Sisi ordered the flooding of several Hamas tunnels to a certain extent due to Israel's request. He affirmed that [[Egyptian–Israeli security cooperation]] was "better than ever".<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Security-establishment-furious-with-minister-after-making-Egypt-Israel-cooperation-public-444063 ''Security establishment furious with minister after making Egypt-Israel cooperation public''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214031300/http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Security-establishment-furious-with-minister-after-making-Egypt-Israel-cooperation-public-444063 |date=14 February 2016 }}. Yossi Melman. Jerusalem Post, 6 February 2016</ref>

====Buffer zone====
In October 2014, days after [[October 2014 Sinai attacks|an attack in which 33 Egyptian soldiers were killed]], Egypt announced it may create a buffer zone between Palestinian Rafah and Egyptian Rafah, where most tunnels are believed to be.<ref>{{cite news|title=Egypt may relocate thousands of Bedouin to widen buffer zone near Gaza border|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.622751|publisher=[[Haaretz]]|date=26 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Palestinian militants from Gaza behind Sinai attacks, Egyptian official says|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.622854|publisher=[[Haaretz]]|quote=Beshadi stressed that the "only solution" for putting an end to the attacks by alleged Palestinian militants was to establish a "safe zone" between the Gaza Strip and Sinai, by relocating residents in other areas.}}</ref> Initial width of the buffer zone was 500&nbsp;meters but on 18 November 2014, Egypt said it would expand it to 1&nbsp;km.<ref>{{cite news|title=Egypt to expand Gaza buffer zone to 1 km; 12 new tunnel openings found|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.627017|publisher=[[Haaretz]]|date=18 November 2014|quote=the Egyptian army will widen the zone from 500 meters in order to improve national security, after Egyptian security forces uncovered tunnels that were 800 to 1,000 meters long going deep into Egyptian territory.}}</ref> On 29 December 2014 the buffer zone was extended again to 5&nbsp;km.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gaza buffer zone to increase to 5km: North Sinai governor|url=http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/12/29/north-sinai-governor-says-gaza-buffer-zone-increase-5km/|work=[[Daily News Egypt]]|date=29 December 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Palestine}}
* [[Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip]]
* [[Anti-tunnel barrier along the Gaza–Israel border]]
* [[Gaza imports]]
* [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Smuggling tunnels in Gaza Strip}}
* [https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2014/04/gaza-tunnels-201441772150756893.html ''An inside look at the tunnels under Gaza and the men who risk their lives to bring in essential supplies'']. Al Jazeera, 21 April 2014
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/04/gazas_tunnels/html/1.stm In pictures: Searching for Gaza's tunnels]
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8608376.stm Gaza tunnel smugglers trade in new cars]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110528113124/http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=589541 Cars From Libya, Egypt Smuggled Into Gaza Through Tunnels]
* [https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/407/transcript The Bridge Transcript, Act Two: Bridge and Tunnel]. ''[[This American Life]]''. By Ira Glass. 7 May 2010.

{{Israeli-Palestinian Conflict}}
{{2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict}}
{{Gaza crisis}}

{{coord missing|Egypt}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaza Strip Smuggling Tunnels}}
[[Category:Geography of Egypt]]
[[Category:Gaza–Israel conflict]]
[[Category:International railway lines]]
[[Category:International tunnels]]
[[Category:Smuggling routes]]
[[Category:Tunnels in Egypt]]
[[Category:Tunnels in Palestine]]
[[Category:Egypt–Gaza Strip border crossings]]
[[Category:Tunnel construction]]
[[Category:Egypt in the Arab–Israeli conflict]]