KFC Smuggled Through Tunnels To Gaza From Egypt

A new company in Gaza smuggles fast food from an Egyptian Kentucky Fried Chicken to Gaza residents via a tunnel. People who want KFC in conflicted Gaza can now order KFC in Egypt for smugglers, who, for about $30, bring the chicken through tunnels from Egypt to the doorsteps of people in Gaza.

Deliveries of the KFC smuggled through tunnels can take about three hours, but, for devotees of the iconic buckets of fried chicken, it's worth the wait.

"It has been a dream, and this company has made my dream come true," Gaza resident Rafat Shororo told press.

Israeli restrictions on Gaza crossings make it hard to open an international fast food branch in the Palestinian region. Colonel Sanders' famous red and white logo on the sides of bags and buckets is carried swiftly through the smuggling tunnels that run underneath the boarder.

Delivery company Al-Yamama now brings KFC from the Egyptian North Sinai, which borders Gaza.

Mohammed Al-Madani, an accountant at Al-Yamama company, said they started their new business by chance.

"We ordered and arranged to bring some meals for us and they arrive after four hours," he said.

They posted a photo of the KFC company's website and soon got more orders from people in Gaza.

"[W]e asked ourselves, 'Why don't we provide this service for Gazans?'" he said. "After getting the orders, we call our partner in al-Arish and ask him to make the orders. After getting the meals, he goes to a specific tunnel and asks smugglers to transfer them into the other side of the tunnel; this may take a few minutes."

Sometimes the delivery is delayed.

Al-Madani said, "Sometimes Hamas checks the meal boxes and sometimes the taxi that picks up the orders from Sinai is late."

Student Aboud Fares, 22, said the wait was worth it as he declared as he bit into a piece of fried chicken, "It's delicious even as it's not hot."

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