In video, slain commander describes tunnel project

In a video dating back more than ten years, Hamas commander Raed al-Attar — who was assassinated earlier today — describes the terror group’s idea to dig cross-border tunnels to attack Israel.

“Due to what Israel did to the resistance organizations of our nation, the members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades thought carefully how to respond to the Israeli attacks and to the Israeli crimes,” he says in the video, which was posted by Ynet.

The military wing decided to “invent a new weapon,” he continues.

“This weapon was the war of the tunnels that the occupation did not take into account.”

The second Hamas chief killed today, Mohammed Abu Shamaleh, also makes an appearance in the video. He calls for Hamas to reclaim Palestine from Israel, and fight for the release of the Palestinian prisoners.

“Gaza is very dear to us, and close to our hearts, but all the land and all of Palestine is occupied,” he says.

“The West Bank is still occupied, and Haifa, Acre, Jaffa, and Jerusalem are still occupied.”