[JerseyHighlander]

IN a business sense, the Egyptian underground steel wall is a actual physical barrier to entry into the smuggling market, meaning only Hamas and Gaza oligarchy approved tunneling operations will be able to continue operations, creating a near monopoly on black market goods, greatly enriching the Hamas leadership and further increasing the misery of the Gaza residents.

[Sax]

So, if you're underground, you have all the unobserved time in the world to torch through a steel wall - unless they have some sensors (seismic, electrical, etc.) attached.

And yes, these tunnels can't exist, to the scale that they do today at least, if Egypt really didn't want them.

[colorado tanker]

Without knowing details, my first reaction was also that someone feels they aren’t getting their share of the rake.