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EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip-Trapped by Israeli tanks and Hamas gunmen, hundreds of Palestinians holed up in a stench-filled concrete tunnel at the Erez border crossing Tuesday, desperate to flee the Gaza Strip.Israel has kept the border passage closed, saying free passage could lead to a mass flight to the West Bank, which is separated from Gaza by about 30 miles of Israeli territory, and destabilize the area.The Palestinians -- unable to go forward and fearing what could happen if they return to Gaza proper -- remained crammed inside the 900-foot-long tunnel, living amid trash, human waste and the debris from recent looting that stripped bare even the crossing point's small mosque.Israeli officials, meanwhile, permitted a food shipment into Gaza for the first time since Hamas seized control in five days of fighting with the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. That eased concerns about a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished coastal territory of 1.4 million.As the border-crossing standoff stretched on, the scene inside the tunnel grew increasingly desperate.Women, children and men sat between two high concrete walls forming a corridor about 30 feet across, looking tired and grimy. Suitcases and trash were strewn about. Some people sat on mats, others on bare asphalt, including several men with bloody bandages on their legs.A breeze barely stirred in the passage, which is lighted on the Israeli side. The tunnel has no toilets and reeked of urine and perspiration."It's disgusting. People are using the walls as toilets. The women are suffering," said one man, refusing to be identified out of fear for his safety. He said people were on edge and fighting over food.In one instance, a crowd attacked a food cart, "and only the strong got the food," the man said. Later, Israel sent in five cartons of food, he said. "There was order because they made everybody sit down," he said.The man said some in the tunnel feared Hamas members had infiltrated the crowd to spy on them.
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