Two Palestinians suffocate in Gaza tunnel
July 21, 2009 - 0:0
GAZA CITY (AFP) – Two Palestinians suffocated to death in an economic tunnel between Gaza and Egypt, medics and witnesses said on Monday.
The two men, aged 17 and 33, died of asphyxiation when a fuel leak occurred in the tunnel which then collapsed, they said.Palestinians often die in cave-ins and other mishaps in the vast network of economic tunnels between Egypt and Gaza.
Israel has sealed the territory to all but limited humanitarian supplies since the Islamic movement Hamas’s electoral victory.
Egypt keeps its border with Gaza closed to the movement of goods and only occasionally allows the passage of people.
Israel heavily bombed the network of these tunnels during its 22-day offensive against the Palestinians at the turn of the year, but many of the tunnels were quickly rebuilt.