Palestinian Man Rescued From A Tunnel Under Egypt-Gaza Border

March 30, 2008 1:51 p.m. EST

El-Arish, Egypt (AHN) - A Palestinian man rescued by Egyptian forces was trapped in a tunnel on the Gaza-Egypt border line, which reportedly collapsed on Sunday.

Egyptian and Palestinian officials claimed that the 24-year-old Palestinian, Abdul-Rahman Attiya Shalloub, used the tunnel for smuggling between the two bordering regions of Egypt and Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Initially no reports had confirmed the fate of the man as the Palestinian rescue workers were in the process to remove the man from the tunnel, inside Egyptian territory.

However, later in the day, Egyptian security officials confirmed that they have rescued the man who had fallen into coma after being trapped Sunday for several hours inside the tunnel, according to The Associated Press news agency.

According to a report, the underground tunnel collapsed under its own weight, while the alleged smuggler was trying to cross the border.

Similar reports of smuggling have been emerging from the region since Israel closed the Gaza Strip in June of last year, after Hamas, an Islamist movement, took over the strip to launch rockets on Israel.

In January 2008, when Israel seized the strip completely, several Palestinians started pouring into the neighboring border towns in Egypt due to the lack of food and other essential supplies.

Moreover, some Palestinians have reportedly used tunnels to smuggle weapons and illegal goods from Egypt into Gaza.

Meanwhile, Imad Kharboush, head of the northern Sinai emergency unit, told AP that the Palestinian's condition was critical after he fell into deep coma. He was rushed for a surgery at the nearby El-Arish general hospital.