This story is improbable to say the least. If a typical tunnel were to yield even half of the $180,000 a day figure, the tunneling industry would be grossing nearly $4 billion a year. I thought Gaza was desperately poor. By the same token, if 1,200 tunnels exist in Gaza, there would be one tunnel every 10 meters, or alternatively several layers of tunnels. Either way, there would be freqauent collapses, particularly since the IDF bombs them from time to time.

What is the the harm to Egypt's national security again? How many egyption got hurt or killed? The trains and ships that keep having acciidents or the 1 million people who live in grave yards are not national security. Excuse me but this is just complete BS

Vibrating machines a la TESLA could go a long way in solving the problem with the tunnel rats.

That's over $220million! In a zone of 1.2 million people that's put under siege, that's pretty remarkable, I'd say that to afford these rates, these people must be the wealthiest in the world by far.

Firstly I have said on many occasions elsewhere and perhaps even here. There are two Gazas.one on top visible and the other underneath chock a block with tunnels.And some do die owing to accidents. One reason of the difficulty in getting Shalit out,and the booby trapsof course. The IDF has been demolishing them as much as they can,but as this has become an industry,as you have read the best thing would be to CLOSE THE RAFAH BORDER & For Egypt to build its IRON FENCE as soon as possible.In the long run they too are being killed.

If those figures are true then it means that Gaza thats nearly three times the money donated by the entire international community combined for the palestinians. If thats the case why is the international community giving them handouts? Is the world continuing to fund the Hamas & Fatah top brass sending their kids to the best private schools abroad and for them to live in big houses? If the tunnels are dug by children ( for very little money ) that means the labour cost are virtually nill. Things like concrete are not bought on the open market because its not allowed in so its either existing supplies or Hamas appropriating whats donated for construction of homes. Its probably more like $5000 per tunnel. As for the goods that come in please $180,000 a day .. they get weapons which are used for killing Israelis not making money. They bring in animals, sometimes even cars and various other goods that they can sell on the black market but lets not forget the cost of buying these things in Egypt first. Its probably $1800 a day. Gaza does not have a developed economy and we are supposed to believe that they are earning $180,000 a day.

Know why the terrorstinians have no food, no schools, no health care facilities or anything related to peaceful purposes? Because the hate the Jews 60 million time more than they love their children! Just think where they could have been if us$60 Million was spent on their own welfare. That's a lot of hospitals with plenty left over for the start of an economy based no peaceful production.

A single smuggling tunnel can yield a profit of up to NIS 700,000 (roughly $184,000) per day, which explains the extensive industry that has flourished around the tunnels.This also is WHY Hamas is interested to fight Israel. For them its a business to get rich by sacrificing the Gazan citiziens. This is not a STARTUP anymore.

The border is 10 kilometers. 1000 tunnels is one every 10 meters. This simple math shows the "1200 tunnel" claim to be wild fiction. This article present hysteria as if it were news, and renders ynet a gibberish pump. I look for reliable reporting and reliable news. Since I can't find it here, where should I look?

This entire Israeli-Pales conflict is one big joke on all of US. The figures seem absurd, considering the reports coming out of the World Bank, and UN..and charity given. But assuming it's one-quarter accurate, why are the tunnels, which Israel claims to strike every so often at a few at a time, allowed to exist in the first place? Cast Iron ( hear this Goldstone you Kapo), was supposed to end them, permanently. Soooo, what is Israel/Egypt waiting for, the messiah? A 10,000 man force of IDFers, assigned to Rafiah, can end this once and for all. Jewish children learn computer skills/Pales children learn to build tunnels, to kill the Jewish children. Something seems wrong here. What about hat moat?

women love your idea. They can't wait. As for me I would like to see either a major channel dug or set up the Gaza 500 Tanks races. Flooding a channel would put major weight and penetration in the area and you can't win against mother nature and physics. Can you imagine the vibrations from large numbers of tanks racing around the border repeatedly and the impact?

With all that money pouring into Hamas' coffers because of smuggling, shouldn't the UNRWA use less money for Gaza and more for, say, the Sudan?

Try the National Enquirer. By the way, contemplate the possibility that the number of tunnels include both those between Gaza and Israel and those between Gaza and Egypt. Now the math works.

Their is a freeze on buildings in the West Bank. Why isnt there a freeze on building new tunnels in Gaza ??????

Considering Gaza-Egypt border is 10 Km in length, those 1200 tunnels would have been arrayed at 8.3 m distance apart. Mainly sand soil wouldn't support that illogical theory.

so this is an 80 billion a year industry...no wonder they dont want peace in gaza...on a per capita basis this probably makes them one of the riches swathes of land on the planet. whoever wrote this is a moron.

Just read at the Enquirer on Hamas and will paraphrase for some here to understand and be informed. On Hamas who shouted:” We are the victors! We are the fighters! etc,etc.. But a year later, al-Haya’s bold calls rang hollow. Only a trickle of Hamas loyalists turned up to a commemoration in the heavily damaged legislative building in downtown Gaza City, the territory's largest urban area. Cars whizzed by and pedestrians kept walking, ignoring siren meant to call for a minute's silence. "I wish they had commemorated the war by opening a factory. That would have been better than this," said a Gaza resident.(see how many feel?) Jebaliya protest did not even fill the sandy square where Israeli aircraft dropped bombs onto the house of senior Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan, killing him and about a dozen more of his family and neighbors. This shows not to take seriously the number of tunnels they have supposedly built. It is all one big braggadocio. Additionally the true feelings of the Gazans who are desperate to have a better life, rather than terrorism which brings them nothing but grief.

just open the border crossing, problem solved.

How come there are no tunnels between Gaza and Israel? Seems to me that Egypt is deliberately allowing the construction of these tunnels.