"Even at this time, there are people working in the tunnels," Diaa Hassan, a
tunnel worker on the Gazan side of the border, said Sunday.

He said many tunnels, which often have lighting and complex infrastructure,
go down as far as 30 yards - and were impervious to bombardment from Israeli
planes. "Those (tunnels) do not get destroyed," Hassan said.

Leaders seek stronger Mideast peace deal
By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY 18 January 2009
www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-01-18-gazaceasefire_N.htm

CAIRO - The cease-fire in Gaza could present new opportunities for achieving
a broader peace in the Middle East, analysts said Sunday, despite concern
over unresolved issues such as how to seal the smuggling tunnels Hamas
militants use to arm themselves.

Fighting in Gaza largely stopped Sunday after Hamas officials announced they
would agree to a one-week cease-fire, a day after Israel unilaterally halted
its three-week offensive.

It is a fragile peace. Although Israeli troops began pulling out of Gaza on
Sunday, the Israeli government still warns it will respond forcefully if
Hamas resumes firing rockets into Israel. Diplomats from around the world,
including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, were gathered at an
Egyptian resort to try to forge a more durable peace deal before new
violence erupts.

Hundreds of tunnels running under Egypt's 9-mile border with Gaza, used to
smuggle everything from livestock to fuel and weapons, were shaping up as a
major sticking point in negotiations. Israel says it has destroyed 60% to
70% of the tunnels, which were built to get around trade sanctions, but some
Gaza residents say the war has done little to stop commerce, illicit or
otherwise.

"Even at this time, there are people working in the tunnels," Diaa Hassan, a
tunnel worker on the Gazan side of the border, said Sunday.

He said many tunnels, which often have lighting and complex infrastructure,
go down as far as 30 yards - and were impervious to bombardment from Israeli
planes. "Those (tunnels) do not get destroyed," Hassan said.

Israel has proposed that foreign troops patrol the border, and the United
States and European countries have offered technical assistance to monitor
the tunnels.
Egypt has balked at the proposals. "It would look like another occupying
force," said Abdel Monem Said Aly, director of the Al-Ahram Center for
Political and Strategic Studies, based in Cairo. "It's a very sensitive
issue in Egypt."

The tunnel system has grown so sophisticated over the years that Hamas
militants had even set up customs checkpoints to collect fees, Aly said. He
said the system has lots of pathways so that goods can still be moved even
if some tunnels are blocked.

Despite the problems, Aly and some other longtime observers of the Middle
East process said the Gaza war could present an unforeseen boost to the
6-decade-old quest for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Among reasons for optimism:
.Hamas' leadership, caught off-guard by Israel's offensive, may now consider
pursuing a more pragmatic course with Israel, said Mohamed Kadry Said, a
security analyst and former major general in the Egyptian military.
Through Hamas' two decades of existence, the group has made Israel's
destruction its main goal. Hamas is classified as a terrorist group by the
United States.
"Rhetoric is important, but I don't think it is reflected in what will be
said in a closed room," Said said. "Maybe we will see another Hamas, one
that Israel will be more willing to work with."
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was hosting cease-fire negotiations,
said Sunday that the Gaza conflict reinforces the need for a "just and
comprehensive peace" in the region. Ban said: "We need to put this Middle
East peace process back on track."
.The street protests in the Arab world were not as violent or broad as they
could have been, and the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory, was
relatively quiet, Aly said.
.Syria and Iran, Hamas' chief backers, were largely on the sidelines during
the conflict. Hamas "miscalculated" how the world would react, according to
Said. "Hamas is alone now," he said.
Other observers were less hopeful, citing anger in the Arab world over
civilian casualties. "We will wake up on the morning after the war to a
situation filled with hatred," wrote Eyal Megged, a commentator in the
Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv.
Even Aly was hedging his bets. "Either we are heading toward a serious peace
process or heading for another crisis," he said.
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Contributing: Theodore May in Rafah, Gaza; and wire reports