Three Palestinians were rescued Thursday evening, after an apparent weapons smuggling tunnel they were digging on the Egyptian border near the Gaza Strip collapsed in the afternoon, burying them under mounds of sand.

An IDF doctor and medics helped treat the Palestinians, who were evacuated to a hospital in Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon and placed under arrest.

The tunnel was being dug toward an IDF outpost near Rafah, close to the Philadelphi Route.
The IDF received a request for help from the Palestinians via the District Coordinating Office, and acceded to the request.

Palestinian Authority officials said heavy rains in the area Wednesday night caused the tunnel to collapse.

The army permitted Palestinian rescue teams and two bulldozers to reach the site, even though the area is a restricted military zone. The army also dispatched its own bulldozers to assist in the rescue effort.

The rescued Palestinians are reportedly members of one family who live in the Yabne refugee camp.

Source: Jerusalem Post Nov 18th 2004

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