Woe the hard life of the Gaza sandhog...GAZA, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Islamist group Hamas said on Monday Egypt was responsible for the deaths of eight Palestinians because it used water, gas and explosives to seal a network of tunnels under its border with the Gaza Strip.
Hey? Can they do that? That's...not fair!
Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ehab al-Ghsain criticised Egypt's anti-smuggling tactics as
Look soon for Mutual of Gaza's new phamphlet, "So You're Going Into the Smuggling Business"...
... also look for triple premiums and an exclusion clause ...
Ghsain said Cairo "shares the blame" with Israel for the blockade by keeping the coastal enclave's only border crossing with Egypt closed.
Nope. Certainly not your fault. Look what they made you do...
Egyptian security sources confirmed that Egypt had pumped gas into tunnels in recent months before sealing them off.
Yep. Sure have. Notice that we don't seem real upset about it?
They said the gas was not harmful and was used to prevent Palestinians from trying to re-enter the tunnels.
Noooo. Not harmful at all. You have our word on it, my Arab brothers...
The sources said Egyptian authorities typically informed their Palestinian counterparts once the tunnels were sealed.
Yoo-hoo. Anybody down there?
Okay, boys. Give em the gas.
Egypt's Interior Ministry had no immediate comment.
Yaaaaaaaaawn...
Hamas blew up the Rafah border crossing in January, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gazans to pour into Egypt to stock up on supplies. Egypt resealed the border and has stepped up patrols to prevent another breach.
It appears they remember that wonderful Palestinian comradeship.
The United States and Israel have pressed Egypt to seal the tunnels to stop militants from smuggling weapons. U.S. experts have been helping Egyptian security forces look for tunnels. "We understand the American and Israeli pressure on Egypt but that does not justify the killing of people in such a manner," Ghsain said.
Maybe if they used "mysterious explosions"? Would that be okay?
He defended Gaza's tunnel network, saying it was a result of the blockade. "Once the Rafah crossing opens and the blockade is lifted, the tunnel issue will be resolved," he said.
Happy digging, boys.