GAZA CITY [MENL] Middle East Newsline, Nov 3, 2009–
The Hamas regime has approved a huge increase in the number of smuggling tunnels from the Gaza Strip to neighboring Egypt. Palestinian sources said tunnels that span the Gaza Strip to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula have more than doubled in 2009. They cited the Israeli and Egyptian closure of their borders as well as increasing Gazan demand for consumer goods. “We can get anything for anybody at almost any time,” a Palestinian involved in the tunnel industry said. The sources said the Hamas regime approved the sharp increase of tunnels in wake of the war with Israel in January 2009. They said the number of tunnels skyrocketed from about 700 to 1,500 over the last eight months.
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