The economic situation in the besieged Gaza Strip has been deteriorating following the destruction by Egypt of hundreds of Gaza tunnels.

Press TV - According to reports, the destruction of underground tunnels that served as a lifeline to Gaza has caused a shortage of essential goods in the coastal enclave and hampered daily life. 

 Permanent  Egyptian’s government has demolished nearly 800 tunnels along its border with Gaza since January this year, preventing the people in Gaza from accessing most of their basic goods like food, fuel, and construction materials. 

Several Palestinians reportedly lost their lives as they were caught up in the tunnels during destruction operations. 

Some 1.7 million people in Gaza have been living under Israel’s illegal siege since 2007, a situation that has made them desperately dependent on goods coming through the tunnels. 

Several human rights organizations and civil groups have criticized the Egyptian army for preventing the people in Gaza from accessing their basic goods. 

The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO), which represents more than 130 Palestinian civil society organizations, has called on the international community to end the “continuous Israeli siege.” 

“Gaza is recently suffering from a catastrophic condition due to the continuous Israeli siege for the seventh year. We are calling on the international community in order to act immediately to end the siege,” Amjad Shawa, a PNGO member, said in an interview with Press TV.