GAZA CITY — Eight Hamas members were missing Wednesday after the collapse of a tunnel in the Gaza Strip caused by rain and floods, a security source said.
The tunnel collapsed overnight in the area of Jabalia in the north of the Palestinian enclave after several days of rainfall, the security source in the area said on condition of anonymity.
"The resistance tunnel collapsed last night due to the weather and flooding," the source said, adding that the tunnel belonged to Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip.
"There were 11 resistance men inside. Three of them escaped in the first hour after the accident, but the security operation... continues to search for the eight others."
Such collapses have previously occurred in the coastal strip, which is under an Israeli blockade and has seen three wars with the Jewish state since 2008.
On Saturday, a tunnel collapse killed a 30-year-old man, according to Hamas officials. Residents said the tunnel was located in Al-Maghazi in the central Gaza Strip.
In December, 14 Palestinians were rescued after being stranded for hours in a tunnel near the Egyptian border when it flooded and partially collapsed. — AFP
