IDF looked for Hamas tunnel under Gaza border community — report

IDF forces carried out searches for a Hamas attack tunnel under a kibbutz along the Gaza border in recent months, but discovered nothing out of the ordinary, Channel 2 reported Tuesday.

The report came on the heels of a pair of state comptroller’s reports published earlier in the day that took military and political leaders to task for their failure to prepare adequately for the threat of attack tunnels ahead of the 2014 war against the terror group in the Gaza Strip

The reports found significant gaps in the military’s intelligence in the lead-up to the war, as well as a lack of clearly defined operational plans for how to destroy the tunnels. The Prime Minister’s Office bore the brunt of the reports’ criticism, for its failure to sufficiently brief members of the security cabinet about the subterranean threat.

According to the Channel 2 report, security officials quietly contacted residents of an unspecified kibbutz near the Gaza border in December to inform them that IDF digging machinery would soon be operating within the community, due to concerns of a terror tunnel lurking beneath the ground.

The IDF apparently dealt with the issue, as security officials later informed residents the threat had been taken care of.

The army told Channel 2 in response to the report that in the case in question, residents were informed “no unusual findings were discovered.”

The army also described its operations in the community as “part of routine ongoing IDF activity along the border with Gaza.”

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) said on Tuesday that residents of the Gaza periphery can relax, as the threat of Hamas attack tunnels will soon disappear, Israel Radio reported.

Deri did not specify how the tunnels would be dealt with.

On Sunday, Channel 2 reported that there are currently at least 15 Hamas attack tunnels that cross into Israeli territory.