As laborers toil, the tunnels go back into business

RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Hundreds of workers toiled in southern Gaza yesterday to repair dozens of tunnels dug under tents or fake greenhouses while smugglers brought in food and fuel just days after Israel ended a barrage of bombs and missiles aimed at cutting off the supply route from Egypt.

The renewed smuggling underscored how difficult it could be for the Israeli military to meet one of the key goals of its three-week offensive: preventing Hamas militants from bringing Iranian-supplied weapons into Gaza through the porous Egyptian border.

The military said it had destroyed 60 to 70 percent of the tunnels before Israel declared a cease-fire on Saturday. The smugglers in Rafah, a southern Gaza border town where nearly all smuggling tunnels are dug, told the Associated Press that the destruction was probably even higher.

"I'd say that only one out of 10 tunnels is still intact," said Abu Rahman, a tunnel manager who asked to be identified by his nickname because of his smuggling activities.

He and other smugglers estimated there were about 1,000 tunnels functioning in Rafah before Israel's offensive. Most were dug after Israel sealed off Gaza from the outside world following Hamas' takeover in June 2007.

While some tunnels were used to bring in weapons, many were used to circumvent the Israeli blockade and get basic goods into Gaza. The tunnels, about 15 yards deep and 1.5 yards high, run several hundred yards underneath the border.