GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Since the Egyptian army began demolishing the more than 1,000 tunnels between Gaza and the Sinai, Palestinians have analyzed the resulting economic damage, price hikes and deteriorating living conditions in Gaza. The Hamas government published a study about the issue, but one effect of the tunnel demolitions has not been adequately reported because of its confidential nature — the drop in the weapons supply to Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, including how they are trying to make up for the resulting shortages and how it affects the confrontation with Israel.

As reported in Al-Monitor, before Egypt's tough measures, the tunnels were a lifeline for Gaza arms dealers and Palestinian factions smuggling weapons and ammunition. The last Gaza war, in November 2012, only ended when Egypt pledged to Israel that it would undertake unremitting efforts to stop the smuggling of weapons through the tunnels to prevent Hamas from preparing for the next round of fighting.

The Gazan coast

Israeli media have reported that Hamas has recently been carrying out maintenance work on destroyed tunnels and digging new ones because they lack effective alternative options for weapons deliveries. Such reports aside, after the destruction of the tunnels, it appears that Hamas and other Palestinian factions began obtaining weapons via the Mediterranean, along Gaza’s 40-kilometer(25-mile)-long coastline. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended Israel’s interception of Gaza-bound ships, some carrying arms and ammunition, as not a day goes by without an attempt to smuggle weapons.