The pay for tunnel workers has also declined sharply. Officials said
workers now earn around $25 a day from a high of $100 about a year ago.
"Digging tunnels and working in them is one of the few jobs available
for Palestinian youth in Gaza," Gaza economist Omar Shaaban said.
Officials said Hamas has not yet determined whether the Egyptian
underground security barrier would gravely damage the Gaza tunnel industry.
They said the barrier, designed to span up to 11 kilometers, would reach no
more than 20 meters underground, but could contain advanced sensors that
detect tunnel construction and operations.
The number of tunnels that span the Gaza Strip and Egypt has been
estimated at between 1,000 and 1,500. Most of the tunnels, believed to cost
at least $20,000 each, were said to reach a depth of between 15 and 35
meters, within detection range of the Egyptian security barrier.
The barrier was expected to be completed by May 2010. But officials said
it could take months of tests until the system becomes fully operational.
"Blocking the tunnels will lead to a huge humanitarian disaster," Al
Zaza said. "All residents of the Gaza Strip will then rely on United Nations
food aid."
UN representatives have warned that an effective
Egyptian security barrier — financed by the United States — could spark an
economic crisis in the Gaza Strip.
"If those tunnels were blocked, however undesirable they may be, and
however undesirable the effect they're having on the Gazan society and Gazan
economy, the situation without the tunnels would be completely
unsustainable," UN Emergency Relief coordinator John Holme said.
