Digging tunnels between Gaza and Egypt is the only option for Gazans starved of medicine, fuel and basic supplies, writes Saleh Al-Naami It was only when the taxi driver made a sarcastic remark that he realised that his shirt was inside out. He took it off, pulled it the right side out, and put it on again. This resident of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza had just received a phone call from a pharmacy in Rafah notifying him that now they had received a supply of the medicine used to treat his daughter's nervous disorder. He knew he had to get there before the stock ran out, so he snatched whatever clothes were closest to hand. How indescribably happy was this man when finally he returned home with the medicine for which he had been scouring every corner of Gaza. He probably would not have found it in Rafah either had it not been for the tunnels through which vital supplies -- including medicine -- could be smuggled into Gaza from Egypt. Ghassan Hussein, 44, a schoolteacher in Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in the centre of Gaza, told Al-Ahram Weekly that thanks to the tunnels his summer hardship, too, had come to an end. For months he had been unable to sleep until an hour or so before dawn due to the intolerable heat. Due to the Israeli blockade, there was not a fan to be had in Gaza. Fortunately, he had come across one in a store on the Gaza side of Rafah after it had been smuggled through one of the tunnels. Israel has long been trying to convince the world that any tunnels running between Gaza and Egypt are being used to smuggle arms. According to one tunnel operator, who spoke to the Weekly on condition of anonymity, this picture is totally inaccurate. More than 90 per cent of the tunnels are being used to smuggle in essential goods and medicines for civilian use, he said. His tunnel was dedicated to medicines and some foodstuffs, and his partners on the other side verified the contents of all packages before sending them over. His method of operation is very simple and straightforward. He calls up distributors of pharmaceutical supplies in Gaza, asks them what they need from Egypt and conveys their shopping lists to his partners on the other side. Sometimes, however, the pharmaceutical companies in Gaza contact suppliers in Egypt directly and these send the necessary medicines to his partners in Rafah. For each "shipment" he and his partners receive an agreed upon commission from the pharmaceutical supply distributors. He added that the number of tunnels has increased tremendously since Israel tightened the blockade following Hamas's seizure of power in Gaza. He estimates that there are now around 900 tunnels and that they are used primarily to bring in medicines, milk for children, foodstuffs, automobile spare parts, fuel and clothes. He also estimates that more than 1,100 people are engaged in tunnel digging operations, for which work they receive $2,400 a month. The salary is not exorbitant, he insists. "Those men are risking their lives," he said, adding that seven had died when a tunnel collapsed on them when they were halfway through completing it. Most of the tunnels are owned by families in Rafah, for whom the tunnels are their only source of income. Nevertheless, there are certain goods that cannot be smuggled in. Articles made of glass are one. As another tunnel owner put it, "glass has become like gold. But it's almost impossible to smuggle it in because of the danger of breakage during transportation." As a consequence, the prices of kitchen utensils made of glass have soared incredibly. Half a dozen crudely manufactured glasses now cost 25 shekels as opposed to five shekels before the blockade. Mohamed Abu Musaed, 27, an art teacher in Deir Al-Balah, told the Weekly that when a group of colleagues came to congratulate him on his newborn son, he had to offer them fruit juice in six different shaped glasses. When he distributed the refreshments he offered a mock toast, "Here's to the boycott." He laughed and added that he was afraid of more than six people calling on him at once because he would not have enough glasses to go around. Abu Musaed is better off than Abdul- Rahman Al-Awwad, 46, a merchant who supports a family of 11. His family does not have a single glass cup left and have been reduced to using plastic, even for guests. The lack of glasses and other items manufactured from glass has become one of the most salient features of the blockade a month into the truce agreement in accordance with which Israel began to permit the entry into Gaza of goods apart from those Israeli authorities claim can be used to manufacture missiles and explosives. Those stores that happen to have some glass items in stock have affixed price tags on them out of all proportion to their original price and, of course, people's economic circumstances. As a result, most Gazans have stopped buying glass and resigned themselves to plastic. After more than a month into the truce, there are still severe shortages in fuel. The quantities of fuel that Israel allows into Gaza are still so small that the government there has had to issue special coupons to taxis and minibuses enabling them to obtain 30 to 40 litres of gas every other day. According to a minibus driver who works the route from Gaza City to central Gaza this amount is barely enough for a single day's work and he is therefore compelled to buy gas smuggled in from Egypt at black market prices. Given the higher fuel costs, taxi and minibus drivers have raised their fares and cram their vehicles with more than the legal maximum passenger load. Meanwhile, private vehicle owners have a right to 10 litres of gas every two weeks, but only if they are up to date on their licence fees. This is not the case with most car owners who have turned to filling their tanks with cooking oil, which has only exacerbated the fuel crisis in Gaza. The Ministry of Interior in Gaza, which is sensitive to this problem with the month of Ramadan approaching, has issued a prohibition against the use of alternatives to gas in cars. Unfortunately, it is one of those rules that have little chance of being put into effect since drivers have little choice but to break it. Gazans' hopes that the truce would ease restrictions on the entry of building materials have also failed to materialise. The amounts of cement that Israel allows into the Strip fall far below construction needs. Osama Daabsa, 49, a resident of Birkat Al-Wizz to the west of Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in central Gaza, had hoped to be able to complete the upper storey of the house he was building for one of his sons. He told the Weekly that he had to abandon the project. Not only is the amount of cement that Israel allow into Gaza insufficient, but also the quality is too poor for building purposes.
