Tea time: A Palestinian in Rafah carries a sack of smuggled tea pulled from a tunnel on Oct. 3. Estimates of the number of tunnels between Rafah and Egypt vary from a few hundred to 800, perhaps because their construction is presently a growth industry, with 98 percent of all other industrial operations shutting down since the blockade started. Tunnels are typically 0.5 km (0.3 miles) long and cost as much as $90,000 to dig. Owners typically rake in $10,000 daily. Smuggling constitutes approximately
90 percent of economic activity in Gaza, Gazan economist Omar Shaban told The Guardian.