In Gaza destitution is widespread. There is a demand for basic goods but they are in very small supply. Israel has positioned blockades around the borders Gaza shares with other nations. So one of the best ways to get supplies into Gaza is through tunnels.

In order to draw themselves out of poverty the Palestinians were encouraged to invest in the tunnels. Investors understood that these tunnels would assist them out of poverty and provide the means to smuggle in basic goods. One town that has loads of these tunnels is Rafah which shares a border with Egypt.

There are tons of tunnels but Israelis end up bombing many of them so there are always tunnels being built. There is a lot of capital to be made from operating a tunnel. lately two swindlers gathered cash from Palestinians in order to build a tunnel except that they disappeared with anywhere from $100 million to $500 million. The money is vanished and there is no tunnel.

Hamas has two suspects in custody but so far the money has not been recovered.. It’s not just investors that are losing out on the tunnels but also workers. One worker didn’t get compensated for three months worth of work and doesn’t think he’ll ever get the money.

Tunnels may be money makers and life lines to the people in Gaza but they are also very dangerous. With Israel dropping bombs on the tunnels and a continual threat of cave-ins tunnel runners are always in danger. These tunnels provide not only money and goods to Palestinians but they come with a cost. One father 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.”

There are literally hundreds of underground tunnels linking Egypt to Rafah and thousands of Palestinians working on smuggling goods into Gaza. Israel believes it’s necessary to obstruct these tunnels because arms are smuggled in, which may be correct but the blockades are keeping Palestinians below the poverty line.

Unemployment in Gaza is up to 80 percent and as a result many are forced to work in the tunnels. Even children run away from home to work in these tunnels and are rapidly hired because many of the tunnels are only 4 feet tall inside. Children are also recruited to hollow out the tunnels and many are injured or lost when the tunnel collapses with them inside. However the risks are worth it for many children. One child recounted to have earned $100 a day for working in a tunnel.

Money is hard for these children to refuse because they come from such poor backgrounds. The money is what drives this business and many children get caught up in that. In this past year alone over 59 Palestinians have perished in the tunnels, counting children.

Diane Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah. She likes to write about the news, politics, online colleges, online education, and the college experience.