ICHR tackles Gaza’s tunnel boom

The Independent Commission for Human Rights has released a new report into Gaza’s tunnels system, highlighting the human cost of building tunnels and facilitating commercial traffic through them. Workers’ safety is a chief concern, the ICHR report said. Sixty-five people died in 2009, 33 in 2010 and 30 in 2011, it said, with tens of deaths already recorded for 2013. ICHR has pointed to collapsing tunnels, due to Israeli aircraft fire, overlapping construction and uncoordinated drilling for the casualties. Gaza’s tunnels are viewed as a vital lifeline for the Palestinian territory’s Hamas-controlled government. Critics claim the passages are used for arms and drugs smuggling.