- 21 sept 2011
Egyptian authorities: Security forces detain 4 Palestinians
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian security forces detained four Palestinians on Wednesday who had entered Egypt through underground tunnels connecting to the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian authorities said that their visas to enter Egypt had expired and they are still investigating the reason for their entry to Egypt.
Egyptian security officials said that the low number of passengers allowed to enter Egypt via the Rafah crossing leads people to try and enter the country illegally via other routes.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=422391 23 jan 2012, 21:34 , Respect -
Maria 24 sept 2011
Medics: 2 killed in Gaza tunnel collapse
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two Palestinians were killed and three others injured on Saturday after a gas canister exploded in a smuggling tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said.
Nine people were in the tunnel at the time of the explosion and four were rescued unharmed, medical officials told Ma'an.
Five Palestinians have been killed in tunnel collapses in the last week.
Ashraf Al-Qarra, 17, died on Monday afternoon and Haytham Abu Radwan, also 17, died on Tuesday morning from injuries sustained when a gas canister exploded in the tunnel they were in on Monday.
On Sunday, a young Palestinian was killed and another injured when a smuggling tunnel between the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip and Egypt collapsed. Medics identified the deceased as Jihad Irbati.
Egyptian security officials said in early September that they were cracking down on the network of tunnels used by smugglers from the coastal enclave.
Medics say over 160 Palestinians have died in the network of underground tunnels since Israel imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip in 2006.
Under Israel's crippling blockade, the tunnels have provided a lifeline for residents of the coastal enclave.
Egypt's reopening of the Rafah border eased the impact of the siege for some residents, who were able to leave Gaza freely for the first time in years.
But the terminal is not equipped for the transfer of goods, and smugglers say trade is still booming.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423237 23 jan 2012, 21:34 , Respect -
Maria 25 sept 2011
Death Toll of Tunnels’ Workers Rises to 197 since 2006 in Gaza, Says Human Rights Center
GAZA, September 25, 2011 (WAFA) - Al-Mezan center for Human Rights Sunday said that the total number of victims who died while working in the smuggling tunnels in Rafah, south of the Gaza strip, has increased since 2006 to reach197 Palestinians, including 10 children.
In a press release, the center stated that 20 of the victims died by the Israeli shelling on tunnels areas, while the total number of Palestinian injured reached almost 583, pointing out to the continuous killings and injuries of these workers; two were killed and six others were injured on Saturday.
The total number of victims killed in Rafah tunnels since 2011 reached 17 dead; while 42 injured, said the center.
It strongly condemned the continuous Israeli blockade on Gaza, stressing that the continuation of the blockade and its negative effects lead to an enormous rise of the unemployment and poverty phenomena as well in pushing Palestinians toward digging tunnels as an alternative to the closed crossings, which forced a large scale of Palestinians to work in the tunnels as a way to provide sources of livelihood.
The center called upon the international community to uphold its legal and ethic responsibilities, take the necessary measures to lift of the siege imposed on Gaza and to work on insuring the protection of Palestinians’ rights to freedom of movement of people and goods.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17503 23 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 25 sept 2011
2 dead, 6 injured in gas leak explosion in Gaza tunnel
GAZA, (PIC)-- An explosion caused by a leak in a propane tank has killed two and injured six Palestinian workers in a Gaza Strip smuggling tunnel.
Mohammed Awni Abideen, 25, died from injuries sustained from a propane cylinder blast inside the tunnel used for smuggling badly needed commodities from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, medics said. A second man Bassam Abu Ziyada was reported to have died in the blast earlier.
The deaths bring the toll of those killed while working in the tunnels used to relieve the Gaza Strip amid the constricting Israeli siege to 160.
The most common causes of death in the tunnels are collapsing, work-related accidents, Israeli shelling, and poisonous gas that used to be sprayed inside the tunnels by the military forces of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
http://fwd4.me/0CHg 23 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 26 sept 2011
Update: Medics: 1 injured, 2 missing as Egypt pumps sewage in Gaza tunnel
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- One Palestinian man was hurt on Sunday and two others were reported missing after Egyptian authorities pumped sewage inside a Rafah smuggling tunnel running underneath the border with the Gaza Strip, medics said.
Palestinian medical sources told Ma’an that a tunnel worker was hurt and two others went missing inside the Rafah tunnel as a result of sewage pumped into the tunnel from the Egyptian side.
Two Palestinians were killed and three others injured on Saturday after a gas canister exploded in a smuggling tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423646 23 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 27 sept 2011
Update: Medics: 3 Palestinians die in Rafah smuggling tunnel
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Three Palestinians were pronounced dead on Tuesday morning after Egyptian authorities pumped sewage inside a smuggling tunnel under the Gaza border on Sunday.
The ambulance and emergency services committee in Gaza said the three victims were found alive inside the tunnel. They were evacuated to the Abu Yousef an-Najjar Hospital in Rafah but were pronounced dead 30 minutes after arrival.
Gaza medical spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya identified the victims as Fadi Mustafa Ash-Shaer, 20, Firas Ahmad, 18, and Anwar Abu Aradeh, 25.
They were all residents of al-Salam neighborhood in Rafah in southern Gaza, Abu Salmiya said.
Medics had said Sunday that one man was injured and two others were missing after Egyptian authorities pumped sewage inside a Rafah smuggling tunnel running underneath the border with the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian security officials said in early September that they were cracking down on the network of tunnels used by smugglers from the coastal enclave.
Including Tuesday's victims, eight Palestinians have been killed while working in tunnels in September. Five Palestinians were killed in three separate tunnel collapses earlier this month.
Medics say over 160 Palestinians have died in the network of underground tunnels since Israel imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip in 2006.
Under Israel's crippling blockade, the tunnels have provided a lifeline for residents of the coastal enclave.
Egypt opened the Rafah crossing in May, the only border terminal not controlled by Israel.
The opening allowed some residents to leave the coastal enclave for the first time in years, but the terminal is not equipped for the transfer of goods and it has had little impact on Israel's siege.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424006
Three workers retrieved after Gaza tunnels flooded
GAZA, (PIC)-- Civil defense units retrieved Tuesday three workers who had gone missing after tunnels used to smuggle commodities from Egypt into the Gaza Strip were flooded with sewage water.
On Monday, waste water was pumped into the tunnels from the Egyptian side injuring one worker and causing three others to go missing, medics in Gaza reported.
Civil defense units found the three men alive and they were taken to the hospital for examination, the units said, noting that they were healthy but appeared to be fatigued.
197 workers lost their lives in various incidents in tunnels used to bring badly needed commodities into the Gaza Strip since Israel imposed a siege on the Strip in 2006.
http://fwd4.me/0CSD 23 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 28 sept 2011
Envoy: Egypt 'not responsible' for tunnel deaths
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Othman, said Wednesday that Egypt is not responsible for the recent deaths of three Palestinians in smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
Othman said the deaths were very unfortunate, but Egypt is not responsible as it follows clear safety procedures when sealing off smuggling tunnels, which are "harmful to Egyptian national security," he told Ma'an.
The deaths were caused by “the absence of safety and security means within the tunnels, high risk in this profession, as well as the high rate of child labor involved in these tunnels which makes it more dangerous,” he said.
Three Palestinians were pronounced dead on Tuesday morning after Egyptian authorities pumped sewage inside a smuggling tunnel under the Gaza border on Sunday, medics had said.
Egyptian security officials said in early September that they were cracking down on the network of tunnels used by smugglers from the coastal enclave.
Including Tuesday's victims, eight Palestinians have been killed while working in tunnels in September. Five Palestinians were killed in three separate tunnel collapses earlier this month.
Medics say over 160 Palestinians have died in the network of underground tunnels since Israel imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip in 2006.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424493 23 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 2 oct 2011
Medics: Man dies in Gaza tunnel
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A young man was electrocuted on Sunday morning in a Rafah smuggling tunnel.
Medics told Ma'an that Bilal Islim, 25, died at 7.30 a.m. from an electric shock sustained while working in one of the tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
Medics say over 160 Palestinians have died in the network of underground tunnels since Israel imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip in 2006.
Under Israel's crippling blockade, the tunnels have provided a lifeline for residents of the coastal enclave.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=425291 23 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 7 oct 2011
Smuggling tunnel collapses in Rafah
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- A smuggling tunnel under the border of Egypt and the Gaza Strip collapsed on Friday, Egyptian security sources said.
Security officials told Ma'an that a truck was unloading construction materials near the site of the collapse and overturned into the tunnel, in the cross-border town of Rafah.
Police attended the scene but the smugglers escaped, Egyptian sources said.
Smuggling tunnels have provided a lifeline to the Gaza Strip since Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007, when Hamas took control of the enclave after winning democratic elections a year earlier.
The Israeli legal center Gisha has obtained Israeli government documents on the closure policy through a freedom of information petition.
The documents reveal that Israeli army officers "developed mathematical formulas to determine the quantity and types of food Gaza residents would be allowed to consume. Hummus was permitted, but not when topped with pine nuts or mushrooms," the center reported.
Under a court order, Israel's defense ministry released documents outlining that the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories considered whether an item was perceived as "luxury" when deciding what to allow into Gaza.
"Paper, clothes and shoes were prohibited, as were tea and coffee during various periods," Gisha notes in a September report on the documents.
Egypt's reopening of the Rafah border crossing in May allowed some Gaza residents to leave the coastal enclave for the first time in years. But as the terminal is not equipped for the transfer of goods, it has had a limited impact on the siege.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=426945 23 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 21 oct 2011
Egyptian forces uncover 3 tunnels on Gaza border
RAFAH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian forces on Friday uncovered three underground smuggling tunnels near the borders of the Gaza Strip, Egyptian security sources said.
Security officials said border guards confiscated cement and clothes intended to be smuggled into Gaza.
A network of underground tunnels has provided a lifeline to Gaza residents since Israel tightened its blockade of the coastal enclave following the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006.
Shalit was freed on Tuesday in a prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel, and rights groups have urged Israel to reconsider its illegal blockade in light of the captive exchange.
UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said Saturday that the deal offered "an ideal opportunity for Israel to conduct a thorough review of the policy of blockading Gaza. It is surely time to think again about policies that have driven the Gaza economy under ground and into tunnels.
"We must all work to create an economic model in Gaza that is based on legality, full employment, prosperity, stability and peace. That is surely what most Israelis and people in Gaza want. A prosperous Gaza, like a prosperous West Bank, is in the interests of all."
Under its siege policy, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories reviewed whether items were perceived as "luxury" when deciding what to allow into the Gaza Strip, defense ministry documents obtained by the Israeli legal center Gisha through a freedom of information petition show.
Israeli army officers "developed mathematical formulas to determine the quantity and types of food Gaza residents would be allowed to consume. Hummus was permitted, but not when topped with pine nuts or mushrooms," the center reported.
"Paper, clothes and shoes were prohibited, as were tea and coffee during various periods," Gisha notes in a September report on the documents.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=431239 23 jan 2012, 21:36 , Respect -
Maria 25 oct 2011
Medics: Gazan man killed in Rafah tunnel collapse
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A smuggling tunnel underneath the Egypt-Gaza border collapsed on Tuesday morning, killing a young man from Khan Younis.
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip identified the man as 29-year-old Ahmad Rabee.
The victim had been missing for hours after the tunnel collapsed in the Brazil neighborhood of Rafah before his body was found.
Eight Palestinians were killed while working in smuggling tunnels in September. Medics say over 160 Palestinians have died in the network of underground tunnels since Israel imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip in 2006.
Under Israel's crippling blockade, the tunnels have provided a lifeline for residents of the coastal enclave.
Egypt's reopening of the Rafah border eased the impact of the siege for some residents, who were able to leave Gaza freely for the first time in years.
The opening allowed some residents to leave the coastal enclave for the first time in years, but the terminal is not equipped for the transfer of goods and it has had little impact on Israel's siege.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=432150 23 jan 2012, 21:36 , Respect -
Maria 9 nov 2011
Ramiz al-Shaer 22
Man dies in Gaza tunnel collapse
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A man died on Tuesday in a tunnel collapse in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said.
Ramiz al-Shaer, 22, was working in the smuggling tunnel in Rafah near the Egyptian border when it collapsed, medical officials told Ma'an.
His body was taken to the Abu Yousef Najjar Hospital.
Since Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007, goods smuggled in from Egypt through underground tunnels have provided a lifeline to the coastal enclave.
Under siege, Gaza's economy collapsed and a UN study in June found that unemployment rates in Gaza were among the highest in the world.
Gaza officials say over 160 young men have died at work in smuggling tunnels, but with a lack of alternatives many are still drawn to the hazardous profession.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435612 23 jan 2012, 21:44 , Respect -
Maria 14 nov 2011
Gaza man shot dead entering Egypt via tunnels
Ahmad al-Amsi
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A Palestinian man was killed in the Egyptian city of Rafah on Sunday, as he tried to enter Egypt via a smuggling tunnel.
Police in Gaza said a Palestinian-Egyptian man opened fire on Ahmad al-Amsi and three others, who managed to escape and return to Gaza.
Al-Amsi's body was returned to the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening amid heavy security measures, they said.
Police in Gaza said that the group admitted under interrogation that they had tried to enter Egypt with fake passports.
The unidentified man suspected of committing the murder is from the Gaza Strip, police said.
It is not not known why the man opened fire on the group.
Al-Amsi's family condemned the suspected killer, urging Egyptian and Gazan authorities to make sure he is arrested and returned to Gaza to face trial, Palestinian police added.
Since Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007, goods smuggled in from Egypt through a network of underground tunnels below the Rafah border have provided a lifeline to the coastal enclave.
Egypt has vowed to crack down on smuggling, with limited success.
On Friday, Egyptian forces seized three students and a merchant exiting a tunnel from Gaza in Rafah.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436529 23 jan 2012, 21:45 , Respect -
Maria 18 nov 2011
Salamah Abu Hammad 20
Worker dies in a Gaza smuggling tunnel
RAFAH, (PIC)-- A Palestinian worker on Friday morning died as a result of being electrocuted while working in a smuggling tunnel at the Egyptian Gaza border.
Palestinian medical sources told PIC correspondent that Salamah Abu Hammad, 20 years, a resident of Bani Suhaila to the east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip died as a result of being electrocuted during his work inside one of the smuggling tunnels.
More than 210 Palestinians died and 800 injured during work inside smuggling tunnels since the Israeli occupation imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip in 2006, forcing residents to resort to smuggling tunnels to smuggle essential goods.
http://fwd4.me/0h3n 23 jan 2012, 21:45 , Respect -
Maria 6 dec 2011
Medics: 4 injured as tunnel collapses in Gaza
GAZA (Ma’an) -- Four Palestinians were injured Tuesday as a Rafah tunnel collapsed, medical official Adham Abu Salmiya told Ma’an. They were reported to be moderately injured at the Yousef Najjar hospital.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=442639