Palestinian killed in Gaza tunnel collapse

A Palestinian was killed on Friday when a tunnel used to smuggle goods from Egypt into Gaza collapsed, medical sources said.

Five other people were injured in the collapse of one of hundreds of tunnels dug in the sandy desert terrain linking the two sides of the border, the head of Gaza's emergency services Mouawiya Hassanein told AFP.

Israel says Gaza terrorists use the tunnels to smuggle weapons into the besieged territory, while Palestinians say they are necessary to bring in needed food and other goods because of an Israeli blockade.

The network of tunnels was extensively bombed by Israel during its 22-day war against Hamas over the new year, but many of the tunnels were quickly rebuilt following the offensive.