Egypt on Friday intensified its fight against the vast network of underground smuggling tunnels connecting the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, flooding tunnels in the Rafah area of southern Gaza with water pumped from the Mediterranean Sea. The Al Jazeera report, which was corroborated by Palestinian witnesses, coincides with other recent reports that Egyptian bulldozers have been busy constructing fish farms along the border. "Yesterday, without notifying us, they flooded water, and the tunnels started to collapse. The water flooded us. The water pressure started to hit us and throw us out. Some of my relatives started drowning. My body is bruised. The water started to surface here in the Palestinian town. We make a living from the tunnels and now we won't because of the water. [Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah] el-Sissi destroyed us with water and destroyed the Palestinian borders. We are asking the people to stop the water because it reached houses and destroyed the houses. We are asking the people to stop the water so we can make a living from the tunnels," said tunnel worker Ahid Zanon. The network of tunnels is an economic lifeline for Gaza, bringing in an estimated 30% of all goods that reach the enclave, circumventing a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. Egypt's anti-tunnel campaign includes the construction of at least 18 fish farms and a channel 14 kilometers (9 miles) in length that will also be filled with water. Last year the Egyptian government also decided to double the area of the buffer zone between Gaza and Sinai, from 500 yards to 1,000 yards. As a result, a large number of homes in that area have been demolished. Palestinian media outlets have harshly condemned the Egyptian campaign, saying, "The damage to the tunnels tightens the noose on the Gaza Strip." Gaza residents also warned that the flooding could lead to an environmental hazard, namely the destruction of aquifers, which could in turn lead to a shortage of drinkable water.
Credit: Reuters
Palestinian tunnel workers, meanwhile, attempted to remove the water.
