Ehab Al-Ghussain, the ministry's spokesman, said in a press release on Wednesday that the government did not issue a closure order against the border tunnels, describing the reports as rumors.

He said that the tunnels were an exceptional phenomenon that surfaced with the tightening siege on the Strip and closure of its crossings.

The tunnels are used to provide the Gaza inhabitants with their basic needs, the spokesman said, adding that as soon as the siege is lifted and the crossings permanently opened then the government would close the tunnels and declare them illegitimate.