'VIP tunnel' smuggling wealthy Gazans into Egypt

A special "VIP tunnel" was recently dug to smuggle wealthy or important people under the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources report.

The tunnel has electricity and telephone service, and it is high enough that people can walk upright. In most of Gaza's numerous smuggling tunnels, people have to stoop or even crawl.

The tunnel is also unusually wide, enabling cattle or large electrical appliances, such as refrigerators, to be brought through it. Passage through this tunnel, however, is more expensive than it is at any of the others.

Altogether, there are thought to be hundreds of tunnels leading from Egypt into Gaza. Some specialize in conveying fuel, others focus on other merchandise and still others are for human transit. Hamas collects taxes on all the tunnels and uses this money to reinforce its government in Gaza.