Following are excerpts from a report
on the Gaza tunnels, which aired on Press TV Iran on October 8, 2010:
Reporter: Israel began allowing
consumer goods into Gaza after its May [2010] attack on a Turkish aid
ship, but it still blocks all exports from the territory, imposes a
complete naval blockade, and severely restricts the movement of people.
The ease on the siege led to a slump in the volume of goods entering
Gaza through tunnels, but now they serve as a conduit to export goods
to Egypt. Items such as scrap metal, fruits, and vegetables are now
on a reverse trip to Egypt through the same tunnels which were used
to bring basic humanitarian needs into the territory.
Tunnel worker: Because of the
decreasing demand for Egyptian goods, many tunnel owners have struck
deals with Egyptian traders to export some goods from Gaza via the same
tunnels. The tunnel business is in decline, and many tunnels have closed
down.
Reporter: With recycling infrastructure
in Gaza largely limited to the production of cinder blocks out of cement
aggregates, iron, and scrap metal, collected from the rubble of the
last Israeli war on Gaza and continued airstrikes, heading through the
tunnels to Egypt for processing, the scrap is sold to Egyptian merchants
in exchange for iron bars or other construction materials. According
to the United Nations, the 22-day Israeli war left more than 50,000
homes, 800 industrial properties, and 200 schools damaged or destroyed.
Gazan trader: Egyptian goods,
mainly food, brought from the tunnels from the Egyptian side, are on
the shelves. Since the easing of the siege, people buy goods imported
via border crossings. We cannot find buyers for Egyptian goods.
Reporter: Traders say that the
tunnel trade has become less lucrative, compared to its height between
2007 and 2009, when Israel’s siege on the Strip was very tight. Salaries
for workers have gone down – from 100 dollars a day, in some cases,
to an average of 25 dollars a day. Estimates say that the number of
operating tunnels has decreased by 70%, with Egyptian officials saying
that almost 600 tunnels out of 2,000 have been shut down since the start
of the year.
Gazans say that unless they are able
to export their goods and produce, and import raw material for industrial
units, any hope of long-term improvement in the overall situation in
the Strip is not realistic.
Yousuf Al-Hilu, Press TV, Gaza.
