Palestinian Smuggling Tunnels Begin to Reopen

March 19, 2010— -- A year ago, Israel made a concerted effort to destroy the network of tunnels used by Palestinian smugglers to supply the blockaded Gaza Strip with consumer goods, and weapons and explosives for the militant group Hamas.

Since Hamas took control of Gaza by force of arms in 2007, Israel has imposed a tight economic blockade on the coastal strip, which is home to 1.5 million Palestinians.

ABC News was allowed to visit one of the tunnels, 80 feet beneath the ground and reached only with a makeshift winch.

The tunnel is a mile long. It is in use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Thirty men earn $60 a day to move goods through it. The tunnels are prone to collapse because of the sandy soil. The smugglers say they can get the people of Gaza anything they want from across the border in Egypt.

On the day ABC News visited, the first package brought through the tunnel contained chocolate cookies. Later that night, six slightly-dazed sheep were brought up out of the ground.

Not all of the shipments are so innocuous. These tunnels are also the means by which Israel says Hamas militants smuggle in Kalashnikov automatic rifles, ammunition and more.

Over a year ago Israel attacked Hamas militants in Gaza by air, pounding the tunnels every day, but most are back up and running. 30,000 people now work in the underground business.

There are an estimated 1,500 tunnels under the border between Gaza and Egypt today. The tunnels provide a lifeline for the people of Gaza, and of course for Hamas, but there are also millions of dollars to be made.

The risks are high for tunnelers. Well over a hundred smugglers have been buried alive in the past two years alone. But one smuggler said, "I'm not afraid. Besides, this is the only work we have."