Israeli defense officials believe Hamas has managed to dig several tunnels to be used for attacks near the Israeli border in the seven months since the end of Operation Protective Edge, security sources said on Wednesday.
The unnamed sources said that Hamas has invested considerable effort in digging a new tunnel network within the coastal enclave, as well as several tunnels meant for eventual cross-border attacks.
But according to the security sources, the terror organization is careful to avoid crossing into Israeli soil, in order to avoid an eruption of hostilities.
The evidence of digging can be seen from the Israeli side of the border, and residents of the Gaza periphery have documented the construction some several hundred meters from the border.
The Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror groups have released videos in the past months in which members are seen working in the tunnels and traveling freely through them.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
But the security sources maintained that only a few attack tunnels are being dug, rather than the dozens that were operational immediately before the summer conflict and during it.
According to Israeli accounts, more than 30 tunnels were operational inside Gaza, and most of them extended into Israel, before the bloody summer conflict.
Right now, there are no known tunnels extending under the border into Israel’s territory, and the assessment is that Hamas stopped digging some distance away from the Israeli side to prevent IDF strikes.
It’s possible that some of the tunnels destroyed during the Gaza war are being reconstructed, the sources said.
The attack tunnels extending into Israeli territory prompted an Israeli ground invasion into Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, which began in July and lasted for 50 days.
Destroying the tunnel threat was one of Israel’s goals during the summer’s military campaign, which saw over 2,100 people killed in Gaza and tens of thousands more left homeless, according to Palestinian and UN tallies, and 72 people killed in Israel.
Israel says half of the dead were fighters and blames Hamas, which situated much of its attack apparatus in residential areas, for all civilian deaths. During the operation, Gazan fighters carried out several tunnel raids into Israel, killing 11 Israeli soldiers.
Reconstruction efforts in Gaza have been slowed over a lack of international funds and Israeli restrictions on certain building materials, over fears they could be used to rebuild Gaza’s military infrastructure.
The security sources said due to the strict Israeli inspections of building materials entering the coastal enclave, Hamas is investing less in concrete and cement-lined tunnels, and is accelerating the construction using other materials, similar to tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip between the Palestinian Rafah and Egyptian Rafah.
The sources added that tunnel construction near the Egyptian border has almost entirely ceased due to Egypt’s aggressive crackdown on the Hamas-run Strip.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this