Abu Ali vows that once the war in Gaza ends he will quickly repair his tunnel under the frontier with Egypt, one of the many underground links used by Palestinian smugglers that have been blasted by Israeli warplanes. "Life cannot go on in Gaza if the tunnels are destroyed - they're our only opening to the outside world," he said, speaking inside the Palestinian enclave that has been blockaded by the Jewish state for more than two years.
Hundreds of tunnels have been carved out beneath the Gaza-Egypt frontier, providing a vital conduit to bring basic needs into the territory, which has suffered an increasing stranglehold at the hands of Israel. Foodstuffs, building materials, electric equipment and medicines are all brought from Egypt through the passages - as well as weapons and ammunition.
Such contraband provides smugglers with a profitable business. It is also a source of income for Hamas. The movement levies taxes on the smugglers' income from the tunnels which are linked to the territory's electricity grid with the blessing of Hamas.
Conscious that the goods flowing under the border are vital to Palestinians living in Gaza, Israel has bombed dozens of tunnels since Israel began its offensive on the Gaza Strip on December 27.
Abu Ali vows he will fix the bomb-damaged tunnel he shares with four partners, including a chief of Hamas' military wing. But for the moment, he dare not approach the area because "Israeli planes are attacking anyone approaching the frontiers."
Since the attacks on the smugglers' network began, Abu Ali, his wife and their daughter no longer sleep in the family home in Rafah for fear that he may also have been singled out for assassination by Israeli forces.
Another contraband operator, Ayman, operates two tunnels - one for goods and the second for fuel. |