1 dead, four injured in Rafah tunnel explosion

Ashraf Ismail, 18, died and four others were injured after an explosion in a supply tunnel in the southern Gaza strip. A source has told Arabtoday that a gas cylinder exploded inside the tunnel. Ambulances raced to the Salaheddin Gate to evacuate and treat the injured. This comes one day after Jihad Iryati, 25, died after the tunnel he was working in collapsed. The National Assembly for Democracy and Law has expressed its concern about the tunnels south of Rafah, which are claiming an increasing number of lives. The Assembly calls for urgent action to protect the lives of the many young people that work in the tunnels. An estimated 150 people have died in tunnels since 2007. 40 Palestinians have died in the tunnels this year alone. The Assembly called for the international community to life the siege imposed on the Gaza strip, which would lead to many of the tunnels being closed. At the moment all goods and building materials are transported into the Gaza strip via the secret tunnels. The tunnels are a lifeline for the besieged Palestinian territory. Mustafa Sawaf, a local journalist, appealed to the Gazan government to “take a firm stance against the tunnels to put an end to the death that comes from tunnels built below building standards.” Last year the Gazan government committed to certain safeguards for tunnel workers, but deaths continue. There are estimated to be hundreds of people working in the 13km network of tunnels between Egypt and Rafah. Khalil Abu-Shamala, a human rights activist told Arabstoday that he has grave concerns about the number of deaths taking place in the tunnels. Shamala believes that casualties take place daily. The main causes of death include tunnel collapse, choking, electrical faults, fires and explosions inside the tunnels. Abu-Shamala insists that standards need to be enforced for the drilling and construction of tunnels to provide safety measures to protect workers. He called on the government to immediately implement measures to end the high number of deaths in the tunnels. He also called on the public prosecutor to carry out investigations into the deaths. Abu-Shamala believes that the international community carries the full burden of responsibility for the deaths, as their approval of the Gaza blockade forces residents to work in these tunnels at a huge cost to their safety. Abu-Shamala has called for the international community to lift the siege and empower the Gazan population to live normal lives and force the closure of the tunnels.