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Source: http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10147681
Hamas Fends Off Effects of Trade Blockade Through Smuggling Tunnels
[Economist-UK] Gaza's southern border with Egypt, a no-man's land until Israel pulled out in 2005, is now dominated by colorful encampments which cover the entrances to smuggling tunnels, used to ferry goods and people from Egypt into Gaza. Once a secretive and dangerous industry, smuggling has become open, even respectable. Smugglers are working in clear view of Egyptian border posts and Israeli surveillance. Tunnel worker Abu Adnan, 21, complains that the increase in the number of tunnels is driving down profit margins. So is the heavy taxation imposed by the Hamas police. But there are always new opportunities. Israel has threatened to reduce fuel supplies to Gaza, so Adnan and his friends are already planning a pipe to import subsidized fuel from Egypt.