Gazans fleeced in investment scam By Al-Jazeera

Underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip are the only way for millions of dollars worth of essential supplies to get past Israel's siege of the coastal territory.

But it has now emerged that at least 40,000 Gazans have lost their life savings in scheme that promised up to 50 per cent profits in return for an investment in tunnel trading.

Hamas, which has de facto control of Gaza, returned a fraction of the $100m that disappeared through the scheme, and has said that is investigating the fraud.

However, with hundreds of middlemen as yet unpunished and many of them rumoured to have had links to Hamas, the duped Gazans say that more should be done.

Gaza - joining the tunnel diggers (By DW-TV)

A Dutch reporter takes a close-up look at life for the tunnel diggers in the Palestinian Gaza strip. With the Israeli siege still in place, the tunnels are the only way to smuggle in consumer goods and other much needed items. Rafah is a dangerous place to live and work.

What does it say about Israel that it forces another country to live in this way?

Fishing in Gaza

Thanks to Maggie Schmitt for this video about the difficulties faced by fishermen in Gaza. Examines in detail one aspect of the siege, showing the difficulty of maintaining a level of normality for the people living in Gaza.

EU mulls Jerusalem divide - 8 Dec 09 ( By Al-Jazeera)

Jerusalem is sacred to three religions and central to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. European Union ministers have gathered this week in Brussels to discuss a Swedish proposal that calls for the division of Jerusalem in order to serve as capitals of both Israel and a future Palestinian state.The Israeli government has denounced the proposal, calling it a "dangerous" threat to peace efforts, but Palestinians need all the political support they can get to keep alive the dream of East Jerusalem as their capital.Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from the disputed city.