# Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels

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Smuggling tunnels dug along the Egypt–Gaza border

Not to be confused with [Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip](/source/Palestinian_tunnel_warfare_in_the_Gaza_Strip).

Smuggling tunnel in Rafah, 2009.

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The **Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels** are [smuggling tunnels](/source/Smuggling_tunnel) that had been dug under the [Philadelphi Route](/source/Philadelphi_Corridor) along the [Egypt–Gaza border](/source/Egypt%E2%80%93Gaza_border). They were dug to subvert the [blockade of the Gaza Strip](/source/Blockade_of_the_Gaza_Strip) to smuggle in fuel, food, weapons and other goods into the [Gaza Strip](/source/Gaza_Strip). After the [Egypt–Israel peace treaty](/source/Egypt%E2%80%93Israel_peace_treaty) of 1979, the town of [Rafah](/source/Rafah), in the southern Gaza Strip, was split by this buffer zone. One part is located in the southern part of Gaza, and [the smaller part of the town](/source/Rafah%2C_Egypt) is in Egypt. After Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the Philadelphi Corridor was placed under the control of the [Palestinian Authority](/source/Palestinian_Authority) until 2007, when [Hamas seized power in 2007](/source/Battle_of_Gaza_(2007)), and Egypt and Israel closed their borders with the Gaza Strip.[1][2]

In 2009, Egypt began the construction of [an underground barrier](/source/Anti-tunnel_barrier_along_the_Gaza%E2%80%93Israel_border) to block existing tunnels and make new ones harder to dig. In 2011, Egypt relaxed restrictions at its border with the Gaza Strip, allowing Palestinians to cross freely.[1] In 2013–2014, [Egypt's military](/source/Egyptian_Armed_Forces) destroyed most of the 1,200 smuggling tunnels.[3]

## Background

The Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels are tunnels across the [Gaza–Egypt border](/source/Gaza%E2%80%93Egypt_border), used to bypass the [Rafah Border Crossing](/source/Rafah_Border_Crossing), which is used for exceptional cases only, when opened at all. The first recorded discovery of a tunnel by Israel was in 1983, after Israel had withdrawn from the Sinai.[4] The border, redrawn in 1982 after the [Egypt–Israel peace treaty](/source/Egypt%E2%80%93Israel_peace_treaty),[5] divided [Rafah](/source/Rafah) into an Egyptian and a Gazan part. The tunnels used to start from the basements of houses in Rafah on the one side of the border and end in houses in Rafah on the other side.[4]

By September 2005, after withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, Israel declared that Palestinians would not have control of their side of the crossing, and the Rafah crossing should be closed. During the rest of the year Egypt opened and closed the crossing intermittently. In November 2005, two agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority permitted the reopening of the crossing with third-party European Union assistance. However, the movement of people were very restricted and goods would use the [Kerem Shalom](/source/Kerem_Shalom) crossing, under the supervision of Israelis and monitored by EU monitors. In 2006, the Rafah crossing was opened to June. During the rest of the year it was open during 31 days at random.[6]

In June 2007, [Hamas took over the Gaza Strip](/source/Battle_of_Gaza_(2007)). Following the takeover, Egypt and Israel largely sealed their [border crossings](/source/Border_crossing) with Gaza, on the grounds that the Palestinian Authority had fled and was no longer providing security on the Palestinian side.[7] The [Karni](/source/Karni_crossing) and Rafah checkpoints were closed again, resulting in "severe personal and economic hardship for Gaza's 1.4 million population", according to [OCHA](/source/United_Nations_Office_for_the_Coordination_of_Humanitarian_Affairs). Thousands of travelers have been stranded on both sides of the border.[6]

The [blockade of the Gaza Strip](/source/Blockade_of_the_Gaza_Strip) has caused a shortage of certain basic products, especially construction materials, fuel, some consumer articles, and medicines and medical supplies.[8][9] Import restrictions, including of basic building materials, have led to the proliferation of tunnels under the border with Egypt.[10][11] As Israel limits the [Palestinian freedom of movement](/source/Palestinian_freedom_of_movement), for most Gazans the tunnels are the only way to move from and to Gaza.

## Use

The tunnels were used to smuggle a wide range of goods, including fuel, gas, cement, construction materials, raw materials, pesticides, seeds, agricultural tools, preservatives, packaging material, spare parts, livestock, zoo animals, food, medicines, clothes, car parts, building supplies, weapons and luxury items in general.[12][13] Initially, the tunnels were used for moving consumer goods and [medicines](/source/Pharmaceutical_drug). During the [First Intifada](/source/First_Intifada) (December 1987 to 1993), some, more secret, tunnels were said to be used by militant groups to bring in arms and money.[14][6]

A 2015 report of the [United Nations Conference on Trade and Development](/source/United_Nations_Conference_on_Trade_and_Development) (UNCTAD) noted that between 2007 and 2013, more than 1,532 tunnels were running under the border to mitigate the impact of the blockade on Gaza. They were closed by mid-2013. The size of the tunnel trade was even greater than the volume of trade through official channels. The tunnels had been essential to recover from the destructions during the [2008/2009 Gaza War](/source/Gaza_War_(2008%E2%80%9309)). Based on the materials allowed in by Israel, it would have taken 80 years to rebuild the 6,000 housing units destroyed during the military operation. Due to the tunnel imports, it only took five years. Gaza's sole power plant ran on diesel from Egypt brought through the tunnels in the range of 1 million litres per day before June 2013. In 2015. UNCTAD reported that the end of the tunnel economy highlighted an urgent need for the complete and immediate lifting of Israel's blockade on Gaza.[12]

### Construction materials

Israel restricts the importation of construction materials into the strip, to prevent their use for military purposes by Hamas. As a result, cement and other construction materials were some of the main goods smuggled through the tunnels.[11][15]

### Fuel

Smuggling fuel through the tunnels has been the primary source of fuel for Gaza's only power plant. Electricity is needed for the [desalination of drinking water](/source/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_the_Palestinian_territories#Water_desalination). After Egypt demolished hundreds of tunnels in 2013 and Israel closed the [Kerem Shalom Crossing](/source/Kerem_Shalom_Crossing), a shortage in fuel caused the shut down of the power plant.[16]

Increased fuel shortages and high prices, due to the intensified anti-tunnels measures by the Egyptian government under President [Abdel Fattah el-Sisi](/source/Abdel_Fattah_el-Sisi), halted the functioning of sewage treatment facilities in Gaza in 2014. Untreated waste water was pumped into the Gaza shore, causing serious environment pollution and swimming prohibition at the beaches.[17]

### Transport of people

Facing the restriction of the [Palestinian freedom of movement](/source/Palestinian_freedom_of_movement), an advanced system of human transport has been established, including the issue of tickets which serve as a travel permit. A travel ticket from and to Gaza may cost between $30 and $300 (2012), depending on the provided service. As of 2012, travelling by car was possible. Travelling through the tunnels was popular during Ramadan in 2012. As travelling through the Israeli crossings is only permitted by exception, and the [Rafah Crossing](/source/Rafah_Crossing) is opened for limited periods, if opened at all, the tunnels have often become the only outlet for the strip's residents[18]

### Use of child labor

According to an article by Nicolas Pelham in the IPS *[Journal of Palestine Studies](/source/Journal_of_Palestine_Studies)*, child labor is employed in the smuggling tunnels with the justification that children are more "nimble." Despite calls from human rights groups for the Gaza government to stop the practice, regulation of child labor is lax.[4]

Benjamin Netanyahu used the IPS publication to document his claim that "Hamas puts children to work in terror tunnels, sending them to their death." The claim was widely used by numerous pro-Israeli media outlets.[19] In a response to Netanyahu, [Institute for Palestine Studies](/source/Institute_for_Palestine_Studies) recalled that the tunnels were regulated by but largely *not* owned or operated by Hamas, and were a "response to Israel’s imposition of a draconian blockade that drastically controls and at times has banned almost all goods entering the territory, from construction materials, and gasoline, down to such items as pasta." The response further stated that "Pelham never suggests, as the prime minister seemed to imply in his comments, that children were ever used to build tunnels for military purposes, least of all into Israel", although "Hamas, as the governing authority in Gaza, did not implement its own directives to prevent the use of child labor". The Institute corrected an error in the article: There had not been at least 160 children been killed in the tunnels, according to Hamas officials, but rather 160 *persons* as of 2012. IPS noted that more than 541 were children and some 3084 wounded by the Israeli bombing in the [2014 Israel–Gaza conflict](/source/2014_Israel%E2%80%93Gaza_conflict) that was ongoing at the time.[19]

## Construction

Entry of a Gaza smuggling tunnel

The tunnels are normally dug by individual contractors from basements of houses or an [olive grove](/source/Olive_grove) under the border at depths of up to 30 meters (100 feet),[15] and reaching up to 800 meters (2640 feet) in length. In many cases, the owners of the houses enter into a business arrangement with the tunnel builders. They may receive a portion of the profits from the smuggling or some other sort of financial compensation from those who contract the tunnel construction.[20] While many tunnels are of a generally high quality of engineering and construction – with some including electricity, ventilation, intercoms, and a rail system – they are still very dangerous and are prone to cave-ins.[21] The openings to many tunnels are found within buildings in or around Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah.[22]

## Measures taken against smuggling tunnels

### Measures taken by Israel

- *See also [Gaza War (2008–2009)](/source/Gaza_War_(2008%E2%80%932009)) (IDF "Operation Cast Lead"), [March 2012 Gaza–Israel clashes](/source/March_2012_Gaza%E2%80%93Israel_clashes) (IDF "Operation Returning Echo"), November [2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip](/source/2012_Israeli_operation_in_the_Gaza_Strip) (IDF "Operation Pillar of Defense"), [2014 Gaza War](/source/2014_Gaza_War) (IDF "Operation Protective Edge"), [2021 Israel–Palestine crisis](/source/2021_Israel%E2%80%93Palestine_crisis) (IDF "Operation Guardian of the Walls"), [Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)](/source/Israeli_invasion_of_the_Gaza_Strip_(2023%E2%80%93present)) (IDF "Operation Swords of Iron")*

Israel has destroyed hundreds of homes along the Gaza–Egypt border to enlarge the [buffer zone](/source/Gaza%E2%80%93Egypt_border#Buffer_zone), asserting that they were used to hide smugglers' tunnels.[23] The [Israel Defense Forces](/source/Israel_Defense_Forces) (IDF) maintain that this was done in order to prevent smuggling tunnels, and that incursions into Rafah and the destruction of tunnels and/or shafts under homes was the most effective means to close the tunnels down. An IDF spokeswoman has stated that in destroying tunnels, the IDF exercises "the utmost care to pinpoint the tunnels and do as little damage as possible".[24]

Israel, Egypt, the United States, and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries have pledged to stop or slow smuggling to Gaza by land and sea.[22]

Tunnel found near Egyptian border by Israeli forces, October 2006

Although Israeli air strikes rendered over 100 tunnels inoperative during [Operation Pillar of Defense](/source/Operation_Pillar_of_Defense), many of them were restored within a few weeks because the main damage was sustained at the openings, not in the middle sections.[22]

During the [2014 Israel–Gaza conflict](/source/2014_Israel%E2%80%93Gaza_conflict), Israel launched a ground offensive into Gaza with the primary objective being to fully destroy the [cross border tunnels](/source/Palestinian_tunnel_warfare_in_the_Gaza_Strip).[25] In total 31 tunnels were destroyed during the weeks the IDF was in Gaza.[26]

On 11 August 2014, the IDF announced they had successfully tested a system that could be used to detect these tunnels.[27] This new system uses a combination of sensors and special transmitters to locate tunnels.[28] The IDF expects development to cost up to NIS 1.5 billion, and could be deployed within the year.[29][*[needs update](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Chronological_items)*]

### Measures taken by Egypt

Some measures such as Egypt's construction of an underground fence along its side of the Gaza–Egypt border have been taken. In late 2009 Egypt started construction of a subterranean barrier in an attempt to curb the use of smuggling tunnels. Nevertheless, anti-smuggling capabilities remain limited and constrained.[22]

In 2010, Egypt sprayed toxic gas into the tunnels, killing four Palestinians.[30]

In 2011, Egypt began sealing a series of smugglers’ tunnels between its border and the Gaza Strip.[31] The Egyptian army has increased its deployment along its border since 5 August 2012, when 16 Egyptian border police were killed in a terror attack. Since then there have been reports that the Egyptian army has been destroying smuggling tunnels by flooding them.[32]

In 2013, following the [2013 Egyptian coup d'état](/source/2013_Egyptian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat) that ousted the pro-Hamas government, the Egyptian army has destroyed many of the tunnels, with the effect that "prices have soared, shelves are empty, utilities have suspended operations for lack of fuel and travel is restricted once again".[33]

In 2013, the Egyptian military started resorting to a pungent new tactic to shut down the smuggling tunnels connecting Sinai and Gaza: flooding them with sewage.[34]

Smuggling tunnels and the various methods different countries have used to address the types of threats tunnels pose to national security has been discussed in the literature.[35][36]

After President el-Sisi assumed leadership of Egypt in 2013, the Egyptian Army launched an aggressive campaign of destroying tunnels between Gaza and Egyptian territory. As of August 2014, the Egyptian Military destroyed 1,659 smuggling tunnels.[37]

Palestinian President [Mahmoud Abbas](/source/Mahmoud_Abbas) agreed with the destruction of smuggling tunnels, arguing that they had produced 1,800 millionaires, and were used for smuggling weapons, drugs, cash and equipment for forging documents. Abbas had previously recommended the sealing or destruction of the tunnels by flooding them and then punishing the owners of the homes that contained entrances to the tunnels, including demolishing their homes.[38][39]

On 11 September 2015, the Egyptian army began to pump water from the Mediterranean Sea into the tunnels. A number of Palestinian factions condemned the flooding of the border with sea water, because it posed a serious threat to the environment and ground water.[40] In February 2016, it was reported that the flooding was creating an environmental disaster and having a catastrophic effect on the basic livelihoods of millions of Palestinians.[41]

According to Egyptian President el-Sisi, flooding of the tunnels had been carried out in coordination with the Palestinian Authority.[39] On 6 February 2016, Israeli Minister [Yuval Steinitz](/source/Yuval_Steinitz) said that Sisi ordered the flooding of several Hamas tunnels to a certain extent due to Israel's request. He affirmed that [Egyptian–Israeli security cooperation](/source/Egyptian%E2%80%93Israeli_security_cooperation) was "better than ever".[42]

#### Buffer zone

In October 2014, days after [an attack in which 33 Egyptian soldiers were killed](/source/October_2014_Sinai_attacks), Egypt announced it may create a buffer zone between Palestinian Rafah and Egyptian Rafah, where most tunnels are believed to be.[43][44] Initial width of the buffer zone was 500 meters but on 18 November 2014, Egypt said it would expand it to 1 km.[45] On 29 December 2014 the buffer zone was extended again to 5 km.[46]

## See also

- [Palestine portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Palestine)

- [Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip](/source/Palestinian_tunnel_warfare_in_the_Gaza_Strip)

- [Anti-tunnel barrier along the Gaza–Israel border](/source/Anti-tunnel_barrier_along_the_Gaza%E2%80%93Israel_border)

- [Gaza imports](/source/Gaza_imports)

- [Israeli–Palestinian conflict](/source/Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict)

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-hrw_24-0)** [Razing Rafah: Mass Home Demolitions in the Gaza Strip](https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/6.htm#_Toc84676183) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160311014000/https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/rafah1004/6.htm#_Toc84676183) 11 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), [Human Rights Watch](/source/Human_Rights_Watch).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** ["Tunnels Lead Right to the Heart of Israeli Fear"](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/29/world/middleeast/tunnels-lead-right-to-heart-of-israeli-fear.html). *The New York Times*. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** ["At least 160 children died digging tunnels for Hamas"](https://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/At-least-160-children-died-digging-tunnels-for-Hamas-369138). Retrieved 4 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** ["Israel tests system to detect Hamas tunnels"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140814222422/http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/37444-140717-israel-tests-system-to-detect-hamas-tunnels). Archived from [the original](http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/37444-140717-israel-tests-system-to-detect-hamas-tunnels) on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** ["Israel Tests New Terror Tunnel Detection System"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140814225238/http://www.jspacenews.com/israel-tests-new-terror-tunnel-detection-system/). 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** ["IDF successfully tests system designed to detect terror tunnels"](https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/IDF-successfully-tests-system-designed-to-detect-terror-tunnels-370754).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** [*Four Killed, Nine Wounded, After Being Gassed In Tunnel By Egypt*](http://www.imemc.org/article/58550) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140426202317/http://www.imemc.org/article/58550) 26 April 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). IMEMC, 29 April 2010

1. **[^](#cite_ref-WP_31-0)** ["Egyptian military begins closing smuggling tunnels near Gaza"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/egyptian-military-begins-closing-smuggling-tunnels-near-gaza/2011/09/04/gIQANvy31J_story.html). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*. Retrieved 4 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Reuters_32-0)** [Egypt floods Gaza tunnels to cut Palestinian lifeline](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-egypt-tunnels-idUSBRE91C0RF20130213) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210904073938/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-egypt-tunnels-idUSBRE91C0RF20130213) 4 September 2021 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). Reuters, 13 February 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** ["Not at the table"](https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2013/08/03/not-at-the-table). *The Economist*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0013-0613](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0013-0613). Retrieved 10 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-34)** ["To Block Gaza Tunnels, Egypt Lets Sewage Flow"](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/world/middleeast/egypts-floods-smuggling-tunnels-to-gaza-with-sewage.html). *The New York Times*. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-35)** Lichtenwald, Terrance G.; Perri, Frank S. (2013). ["Terrorist Use of Smuggling Tunnels"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268576567). *International Journal of Criminology and Sociology*. **2**: 210–226. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.6000/1929-4409.2013.02.21](https://doi.org/10.6000%2F1929-4409.2013.02.21).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-36)** Lichtenwald, Terrance G.; Perri, Frank S. (2011). ["Smuggling Tunnels : The Need for a Transnational Analysis"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268576644). *Inside Homeland Security*. **9** (1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-37)** [Egyptian army destroys 13 more Gaza tunnels](https://www.timesofisrael.com/egyptian-army-destroys-13-more-gaza-tunnels/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140728102725/http://www.timesofisrael.com/egyptian-army-destroys-13-more-gaza-tunnels/) 28 July 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) Egyptian army destroys 13 more Gaza tunnels; Cairo has eliminated 1,639 tunnels that run into Sinai thus far By AFP 27 July 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-haaretz_abbas_38-0)** [Abbas: Egypt Right to Create Buffer Zone on Gaza Border](https://www.haaretz.com/2014-12-01/ty-article/.premium/abbas-egypt-right-to-create-gaza-buffer-zone/0000017f-e3a2-d568-ad7f-f3eb85430000) . Jack Khoury, Haaretz, 1 December 2014 (premium). ″Abbas believed the destruction of the tunnels was the best solution. The Palestinian president said he had recommended previously the sealing or destruction of the tunnels by flooding them and then punishing the owners of the homes that contained entrances to the tunnels, including demolishing their homes.″

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-memo_tunnels_flooded_39-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-memo_tunnels_flooded_39-1) [Sisi says Gaza tunnels flooded in coordination with PA](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/21303-sisi-says-gaza-tunnels-flooded-in-coordination-with-pa) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105614/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/21303-sisi-says-gaza-tunnels-flooded-in-coordination-with-pa) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). MEMO, 28 September 2015

1. **[^](#cite_ref-memo_factions_condemn_flooding_40-0)** [Palestinian factions condemn Egypt flooding Gaza borders](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/21203-palestinian-factions-condemn-egypt-flooding-gaza-borders) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092947/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/21203-palestinian-factions-condemn-egypt-flooding-gaza-borders) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). MEMO, 21 September 2015

1. **[^](#cite_ref-memo_situation_deteriorating_41-0)** [*The situation on the Gaza-Sinai border is ‘deteriorating’, claims security official*](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/23819-the-situation-on-the-gaza-sinai-border-is-deteriorating-claims-security-official) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160210092030/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/23819-the-situation-on-the-gaza-sinai-border-is-deteriorating-claims-security-official) 10 February 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). MEMO, 9 February 2016

1. **[^](#cite_ref-42)** [*Security establishment furious with minister after making Egypt-Israel cooperation public*](https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Security-establishment-furious-with-minister-after-making-Egypt-Israel-cooperation-public-444063) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160214031300/http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Security-establishment-furious-with-minister-after-making-Egypt-Israel-cooperation-public-444063) 14 February 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine). Yossi Melman. Jerusalem Post, 6 February 2016

1. **[^](#cite_ref-43)** ["Egypt may relocate thousands of Bedouin to widen buffer zone near Gaza border"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141026095201/http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.622751). [Haaretz](/source/Haaretz). 26 October 2014. Archived from [the original](https://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.622751) on 26 October 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-44)** ["Palestinian militants from Gaza behind Sinai attacks, Egyptian official says"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141026223452/http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.622854). [Haaretz](/source/Haaretz). Archived from [the original](https://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.622854) on 26 October 2014. Beshadi stressed that the "only solution" for putting an end to the attacks by alleged Palestinian militants was to establish a "safe zone" between the Gaza Strip and Sinai, by relocating residents in other areas.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-45)** ["Egypt to expand Gaza buffer zone to 1 km; 12 new tunnel openings found"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141118043831/http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.627017). [Haaretz](/source/Haaretz). 18 November 2014. Archived from [the original](https://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.627017) on 18 November 2014. the Egyptian army will widen the zone from 500 meters in order to improve national security, after Egyptian security forces uncovered tunnels that were 800 to 1,000 meters long going deep into Egyptian territory.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-46)** ["Gaza buffer zone to increase to 5km: North Sinai governor"](http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/12/29/north-sinai-governor-says-gaza-buffer-zone-increase-5km/). *[Daily News Egypt](/source/Daily_News_Egypt)*. 29 December 2014.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Smuggling tunnels in Gaza Strip](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Smuggling_tunnels_in_Gaza_Strip).

- [*An inside look at the tunnels under Gaza and the men who risk their lives to bring in essential supplies*](https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2014/04/gaza-tunnels-201441772150756893.html). Al Jazeera, 21 April 2014

- [In pictures: Searching for Gaza's tunnels](https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/04/gazas_tunnels/html/1.stm)

- [Gaza tunnel smugglers trade in new cars](https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8608376.stm)

- [Cars From Libya, Egypt Smuggled Into Gaza Through Tunnels](https://web.archive.org/web/20110528113124/http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=589541)

- [The Bridge Transcript, Act Two: Bridge and Tunnel](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/407/transcript). *[This American Life](/source/This_American_Life)*. By Ira Glass. 7 May 2010.

v t e Israeli–Palestinian conflict History Participants Israelis Israel Defense Forces Israel Police Mossad Shabak (Shin Bet) Palestinians Principals All-Palestine Protectorate Palestine Liberation Organization Fatah Hamas Palestinian Authority Other groups al-Aqsa Brigades Children DFLP Jenin Brigades Lions' Den PIJ PLF PPSF PFLP PFLP-GC PRC Sabireen Movement Sons of Zouari Tulkarm Brigade Third-party groups Arab League Hezbollah Individuals Israelis Moshe Arens Ami Ayalon Ehud Barak David Ben-Gurion Naftali Bennett Menachem Begin Meir Dagan Moshe Dayan Avi Dichter Yuval Diskin Benny Gantz Efraim Halevy Dan Halutz Tzipi Livni Golda Meir Shaul Mofaz Yitzhak Mordechai Benjamin Netanyahu Ehud Olmert Shimon Peres Yaakov Peri Yitzhak Rabin Amnon Lipkin-Shahak Yitzhak Shamir Ariel Sharon Shabtai Shavit Moshe Ya'alon Danny Yatom Zvi Zamir Palestinians Abu Abbas Mahmoud Abbas Moussa Arafat Yasser Arafat Yahya Ayyash Marwan Barghouti Mohammed Dahlan Mohammed Deif George Habash Wadie Haddad Ismail Haniyeh Nayef Hawatmeh Amin al-Husayni Ghazi Jabali Ahmed Jibril Abu Jihad Salah Khalaf Leila Khaled Sheikh Khalil Khaled Mashal Zuheir Mohsen Abu Ali Mustafa Abu Nidal Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Jibril Rajoub Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi Ali Hassan Salameh Salah Shehade Ramadan Shalah Fathi Shaqaqi Ahlam Tamimi Ahmed Yassin Timeline military operations Background 1920–1948 1920 Nebi Musa riots Battle of Tel Hai 1921 Jaffa riots 1929 Palestine riots Hebron massacre 1936–1939 Arab revolt 1944–1947 Jewish insurgency 1947–1948 Civil War / Nakba 1948–1970 1948 Arab–Israeli War massacres 1948–present Fedayeen insurgency 1951–1967 Attacks against Israeli civilians 1950s–1960s Reprisal operations 1949–1956 Palestinian expulsions 1953 Qibya massacre 1956 Suez Crisis / Kafr Qasim / Khan Yunis / Rafah massacres 1967 Six-Day War / Naksa 1967–1970 War of Attrition 1968 Battle of Karameh Palestinian insurgency 1968–1982 1970 Avivim school bus bombing 1972 Sabena Flight 571 / Munich massacre / "Bayonet" (1973 Lillehammer affair) 1974 Kiryat Shmona massacre / Ma'alot massacre 1975 Savoy Hotel attack 1976 Entebbe raid 1978 Coastal road massacre / South Lebanon conflict 1980 Misgav Am hostage crisis 1973–1987 1973 Yom Kippur War 1975 Zion Square bombing 1982 Lebanon War Siege of Beirut 1984 Bus 300 affair 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking / "Wooden Leg" 1987 Night of the Gliders First Intifada 1987–1991 1988 Tunis raid 1989 Bus 405 attack 1990 Temple Mount killings 1990s Palestinian suicide attacks list 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre Second Intifada 2000–2005 Palestinian rocket attacks Palestinian suicide attacks list Israeli assassinations 2000 October events 2001 Santorini 2002 Karine A / "Defensive Shield" / Battle of Jenin / Battle of Nablus / "Determined Path" 2003 Ain es Saheb airstrike 2004 "Rainbow" / Beit Hanoun raid / "Days of Penitence" Palestinian dissident campaigns 2006–present 2006 "Bringing Home the Goods" 2008 Jerusalem yeshiva attack / Jerusalem bulldozer attack 2009 Al-Aqsa clashes 2010 Palestinian militancy campaign 2015–2016 violence 2017 Temple Mount crisis 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis 2022 Al-Aqsa clashes Gaza–Israel conflict 2006–present 2006 Gaza beach explosion / Gaza cross-border raid / "Summer Rains" / "Autumn Clouds" / Beit Hanoun shelling 2008 Egypt–Gaza border breach / "Hot Winter" 2008–2009 Gaza War 2010 Gaza flotilla raid 2012 "Returning Echo" / "Pillar of Defense" 2014 "Protective Edge" 2015 Freedom Flotilla III 2018 Gaza border protests / November clashes 2019 May clashes / "Black Belt" 2021 "Guardian of the Walls" 2022 "Breaking Dawn" 2023 "Shield and Arrow" / Gaza war Diplomacy/law Timeline 1948–1991 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight depopulated towns and villages 1949 Lausanne Conference 1967–present Israeli settlement settler violence international law 1981–1982 Fahd Plan 1990s 1991 Madrid Conference 1993–1995 Oslo Accords 1994 Paris Protocol 1994 Gaza–Jericho Agreement 1994–present US security assistance to the PA 1997 Hebron Agreement 1998 Wye River Memorandum 1999 Sharm El Sheikh Memorandum 2000s 2000 Camp David Summit / Clinton Parameters 2001 Taba Summit 2002 Quartet established 2003 Road Map 2005 Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access 2006 Valley of Peace initiative 2007 Annapolis Conference 2009 Aftonbladet Israel controversy 2010s 2010–11 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks 2011 Palestine Papers 2013–2014 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks 2020s 2023–present Gaza genocide United Nations General Israel and the UN Palestine and the UN UNRWA Resolutions List concerning Israel List concerning Palestine 1947 UNGA Resolution 181 1948 UNGA Resolution 194 1967 UNSC Resolution 242 1980 UNSC Resolution 478 2006 UNSC Resolution 1701 2012 UNGA Resolution 67/19 2023 UNSC Resolution 2720 Investigations 2009 Goldstone Report 2015 UNHRC Report ICJ cases 2004 Wall construction 2023–present South African allegation of genocide 2024 Nicaragua v. Germany 2023–2024 Israeli occupation 2024–2025 UNRWA ban ICC Palestine investigation arrest warrants Analysis Antisemitism Anti-Palestinianism Comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany Criticism Criticism of Hamas Criticism of Israel Israeli criticism of the occupation Media coverage Peace process Racism in Israel Racism in Palestine Textbooks in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict Timeline of anti-Zionism There was no such thing as Palestinians

v t e Gaza War (2008–2009) Main topics Timeline Incidents Ibrahim al-Maqadma Mosque attack Al-Fakhura school shelling Abd Rabbo family incident Zeitoun killings Antisemitic incidents Casualties War crimes Background Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel 2002–2006 2007 2008 2009 Blockade of the Gaza Strip 2008 Israel-Hamas ceasefire Reactions and effects International reaction Iran UNSC Resolution 1860 UN Fact Finding Mission International law Media coverage Effects of the conflict 2008–2009 Gaza Strip aid Other 2009 Hamas political violence in Gaza 2009 Sudan airstrikes 2008–2009 Oslo anti-Israel riots Roof knocking Children in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict Propaganda and psychological warfare Part of the Gaza–Israel conflict

v t e Gaza–Israel conflict History 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight Palestinian refugees History of the Gaza Strip History of Ashkelon History of Hamas Pre-2006 1956 Khan Yunis massacre Rafah massacre 1967–71 Gazan insurgency First Intifada Second Intifada and aftermath in 2000–2005 Killing of Muhammad al-Durrah 2004 Israeli operation in Rafah 2004 Beit Hanoun raid 2004 Israeli operation Israeli disengagement 2006 Jan Palestinian legislative election Jun Gaza beach explosion Gaza cross-border raid Jun–Nov 2006 Gaza–Israel conflict Oct–Nov 2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun Nov Beit Hanoun shelling 2008 Jan–Feb Egypt–Gaza border breach Feb–Mar Operation Hot Winter Apr Jun–Dec Israel–Hamas ceasefire Dec Gaza War (2008–2009) 2009 Jan Gaza War (2008–2009) Timeline Incidents Casualties Effects Feb–Mar Israeli attacks Apr UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict 2010 Mar Israel–Gaza clashes May Gaza Freedom Flotilla 2010 Gaza flotilla raid 2011 Jul Freedom Flotilla II Aug 2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks 2012 Mar March 2012 Gaza–Israel clashes Nov 2012 Gaza War Timeline Reactions 2014 July 2014 Gaza War List of Israeli strikes and Palestinian casualties in the 2014 Gaza War August UN Fact Finding Mission on the 2014 conflict 2015 May–Jun Freedom Flotilla III 2018 Mar Gaza border protests Palestinian airborne arson attacks Nov Gaza–Israel clashes 2019 May Gaza–Israel clashes November Gaza–Israel clashes 2020 Feb Killing and dismemberment of Muhammad al-Na'im 2021 May Israel–Palestine crisis 2022 Aug 2022 Gaza–Israel clashes 2023 Apr Al-Aqsa clashes May Clashes October October 7 attacks Gaza war 2024 Proposed Israeli resettlement of the Gaza Strip Lists Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel 2001 2002–2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Related topics Gaza Strip Israeli–Palestinian conflict Gaza–Israel barrier Gaza Strip under Hamas Fatah–Hamas conflict Iran–Israel proxy conflict Gaza Strip blockade (since 2007) Israeli support for Hamas Gaza genocide International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Strip_smuggling_tunnels) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Strip_smuggling_tunnels?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.