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2.65 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
2
Organizations
3
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
6
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Investigative report / article excerpt
File Size:
2.65 MB
Summary
This document appears to be page 13 of a report or article within the House Oversight files (ID: 024604). It details the underground economy of smuggling tunnels between Sinai and Gaza, interviewing Bedouin leaders Menaei and Salem Aenizan. It outlines specific financial figures for smuggling vehicles and people, describes the infrastructure (ventilation, lighting, network boosters), and notes the taxation relationship between the smugglers and Hamas. There is no direct mention of Jeffrey Epstein on this specific page.
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Menaei | Bedouin leader / Smuggler |
Discusses the economics of smuggling tunnels, costs, and weaponry.
|
| Salem Aenizan | Fugitive leader |
Leader from the Tarabin tribe; discusses the nature of smuggling and relationship with Hamas.
|
| Menaei's son | Demonstrator |
Demonstrated how to enter the tunnel using a rope.
|
Organizations (2)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Hamas |
Governing body in Gaza; collects taxes on smuggled goods; supervises operations from Gaza side.
|
|
| Tarabin tribe |
Bedouin tribe associated with Salem Aenizan.
|
Relationships (2)
Menaei pays taxes to Hamas for smuggling cars; Hamas supervises operations.
Described as a fugitive leader from the Tarabin tribe.
Key Quotes (6)
"The security vacuum may have turned Sinai into a regional hot spot, but it is also an economic boon to Bedouin leaders"Source
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Quote #1
"Menaei said that he spent $100,000 to construct a subterranean tunnel large enough to smuggle cars into nearby Gaza."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_024604.jpg
Quote #2
"Hamas gets $1,000 per car as tax"Source
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Quote #3
"This is our operation room," Menaei boasted, showing off two 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine guns"Source
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Quote #4
"I get $50 for every Palestinian I smuggle into Sinai"Source
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Quote #5
"the tunnels are used to smuggle food, cars, medicine, and construction materials -- but that the weapons trade ceased after Hamas's 2007 takeover of Gaza"Source
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Quote #6
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,073 characters)
13
the more-developed south, home of beach resorts catering to
international tourists. The security vacuum may have turned Sinai
into a regional hot spot, but it is also an economic boon to Bedouin
leaders, who have thrived off what is literally an underground
economy. Menaei said that he spent $100,000 to construct a
subterranean tunnel large enough to smuggle cars into nearby Gaza.
"As many as 200 cars a week were smuggled through," he said.
"Hamas gets $1,000 per car as tax," he explained. "The buyer pays
me the car's price and rent money for using the tunnel -- $5,000 for a
car and around $8,000 for a truck." Such a lucrative source of
revenue requires significant weaponry to protect it. "This is our
operation room," Menaei boasted, showing off two 14.5 mm anti-
aircraft machine guns stored in the corner of the room, covered with
bedsheets. The smugglers showed me one of their blockade-busting
tunnels positioned to relieve the Gazans' suffering from the Israeli
blockade and sanctions. It was equipped with ventilation and lighting
systems, as well as network boosters meant to amplify the mobile-
phone signal. Its entrance was well hidden between man-made huts
and fences located amid an olive tree field in the desert. "I get $50 for
every Palestinian I smuggle into Sinai," Menaei said, explaining that
Hamas supervises the smuggling operation from the Gaza side of the
border. Standing nearby, one of his sons demonstrated how the
smugglers plunge safely into the tunnel using a rope tethered above
ground. Salem Aenizan, a fugitive leader from the Tarabin tribe,
insisted that the Bedouins' links to Gaza are based on financial
interest rather than an ideological affinity with Hamas. He told me
that the tunnels are used to smuggle food, cars, medicine, and
construction materials -- but that the weapons trade ceased after
Hamas's 2007 takeover of Gaza and that the smugglers refuse to
transport suicide bombers or people intent on kidnapping tourists.
But the Bedouins' entrepreneurial spirit has nevertheless led to some
international tourists. The security vacuum may have turned Sinai
into a regional hot spot, but it is also an economic boon to Bedouin
leaders, who have thrived off what is literally an underground
economy. Menaei said that he spent $100,000 to construct a
subterranean tunnel large enough to smuggle cars into nearby Gaza.
"As many as 200 cars a week were smuggled through," he said.
"Hamas gets $1,000 per car as tax," he explained. "The buyer pays
me the car's price and rent money for using the tunnel -- $5,000 for a
car and around $8,000 for a truck." Such a lucrative source of
revenue requires significant weaponry to protect it. "This is our
operation room," Menaei boasted, showing off two 14.5 mm anti-
aircraft machine guns stored in the corner of the room, covered with
bedsheets. The smugglers showed me one of their blockade-busting
tunnels positioned to relieve the Gazans' suffering from the Israeli
blockade and sanctions. It was equipped with ventilation and lighting
systems, as well as network boosters meant to amplify the mobile-
phone signal. Its entrance was well hidden between man-made huts
and fences located amid an olive tree field in the desert. "I get $50 for
every Palestinian I smuggle into Sinai," Menaei said, explaining that
Hamas supervises the smuggling operation from the Gaza side of the
border. Standing nearby, one of his sons demonstrated how the
smugglers plunge safely into the tunnel using a rope tethered above
ground. Salem Aenizan, a fugitive leader from the Tarabin tribe,
insisted that the Bedouins' links to Gaza are based on financial
interest rather than an ideological affinity with Hamas. He told me
that the tunnels are used to smuggle food, cars, medicine, and
construction materials -- but that the weapons trade ceased after
Hamas's 2007 takeover of Gaza and that the smugglers refuse to
transport suicide bombers or people intent on kidnapping tourists.
But the Bedouins' entrepreneurial spirit has nevertheless led to some
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_024604
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