Five Palestinians found dead in Gaza-Egypt smuggling tunnel

Gaza medics say five Palestinians have been found dead in a smuggling tunnel under the border with Egypt.

Health official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said the men suffocated in the cramped, makeshift tunnel.

Local residents say they were smuggling food into the strip, which has been under a crippling blockade since the violent Hamas movement seized control there in 2007.

Hassanain said the men died Saturday, but were only found on Sunday.

The body of one man killed in the same incident was retrieved on Saturday making a total of five.

Halting Gaza's smuggling is a key issue in negotiations for a stable truce between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

The tunnels are used to smuggle food and consumer products, but also to run arms.

	Gazans use tunnels beneath the Egypt-Gaza border to smuggle consumer products and arms.
	Photo by: (AP)