The current blockade enforced by the state of Israel in the Palestinian city of Gaza has forced hundreds of Gaza residents to sought out alternative to get their hands on the basic needs for survival, such as food, water, medicines etc. This desperate situation led the Palestinians to start digging huge underground tunnels under the town of Rafah, which lies near the Israeli border.

However, the Palestinian tunnel program is not only proving to be a failed attempt at bypassing the Israeli blockade, but has also created a huge financial scandal in the already poverty stricken country. News reports suggest that, many of the contractors who took money from the residents to create smuggling tunnels are now absconding with the money, that is estimated to be around $100 million to $500 million. The military wing of the Hamas, which is the ruling party in Palestine has committed its militia in locating and retrieving the absconding contractors. As per Hamas sources, the militia have already apprehended two fugitives and are now trying to trace the money.

The tunnels that run under Palestine are believed to be leading to Egypt and the vendors, also known as “tunnel merchants” cross the border illegally and bring back household and electronic commodities such as, food, refrigerators, cigarettes etc. However, Israel insists that, along with these items, the tunnels are widely used to smuggle arms and ammunition. Each of these tunnels cost about $100,000 and the operators of the tunnels charge a staggering $5000 for each ton of commodities brought in by the merchants, thus making up for the construction costs on a fast track basis.

However, the Palestinians wish that Israel ends the blockade as soon as possible, so that some ounce of normalcy can return to the impoverished state. One of the tunnel merchants, Abu Ismail said,

“I want to go to the park at the end of the day, not go looking for my son inside a tunnel digging for a living and finding him dead inside the tunnel.”

Via CNN.