We have hundreds of holes in the barrier, equal to the number of active tunnels, said one Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters. He said the wall is to stretch along nine kilometers (six miles) of border and is more than half complete. It's a big failure, he said of the undertaking.

A second Egyptian official also said the wall had been breached in hundreds of places.
Tunnel activity has slowed in recent weeks, as smugglers try to gauge the impact of legitimate imports on Gaza prices. For now, many only smuggle those items still restricted by Israel, including cement, steel and other construction supplies.

Gaza economist Ali Abu Shahla said he believes market forces, not anti-smuggling campaigns, will close most tunnels in the end.