Palestinian Government in Gaza is Ready to Close Tunnels

The Palestinian government has pledged to close all the tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt if the needs of the Gazans were met, Deputy Foreign Minister, Ghazi Hamad, said. "From the very beginning, we placed a great emphasis on our willingness to let go of the tunnels, for they burden the shoulders of the everyday man in Gaza," Hamad said. "The numbers of the dead mounted due to the tunnels. Still, they exist because we are forced to get basic supplies through them," said the governmental official. Israel is the only side that benefits from the tense relations between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Hamad called on the Palestinians and the Egyptians to unite and never to give Israel the chance to divide the both peoples. "The problem of the tunnels could be solved based on the Egyptian need for security and the Gazan need for humanitarian aid," Hamad said. Hamad expressed his hope that the situation gets more stabilized on the Egyptian borders. The Rafah border crossing was open to people after six days of closure.