“For I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side!’ They conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ (Psalm 31:13–14)
During Israel’s Operation Protective Edge to counter Hamas missile and mortar attacks on Israeli towns and civilians, the Israel Defense Forces uncovered a Hamas scheme to invade Israel this coming Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) via its complex, concrete-reinforced tunnel infrastructure.
Israel Defense Forces soldiers search in Gaza for terrorist tunnels.
“There are two Gazas, one above ground and one below ground: an underground terrorist city,” said an Israeli spokesman. The September 24–25, 2014 Hamas plot included 200 terrorists emerging inside Israel during the High Holidays through tunnel exits that are next to or within Israeli civilian communities.
The maze of tunnels has access points throughout the Gaza Strip that include mosques, public building, and Palestinian homes. Many, if not all, were built through exploiting child labor.
According to a 2012 Institute for Palestine studies report, Hamas officials stated that at least 160 children have died in the creation of this underground network of terror designed for murdering Israelis and conducting kidnapping raids.
While Israel has uncovered 31 Hamas tunnels so far, the terror organization’s tunnel network is extensive and represents an enormous strategic threat to Israel.
An Israeli soldier enters a Hamas tunnel to disable its capacity to be used in acts of terrorism against Israel.
Israel has been dealing with the reality of Hamas tunnels for quite some time. In 2006, Hamas terrorists used a tunnel from Gaza to kidnap Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held for five years before being exchanged for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, of whom many were convicted terrorists.
Despite this, Israel was surprised to discover the number and sophistication of the tunnels. Some are large enough to drive a truck through.
A senior source from the IDF Special Forces unit Maglan, currently operating in Gaza, told the Jerusalem Post that, “Hamas has turned tunneling into a national profession. They lean on highly skilled engineers to do this.”
An entrance to a Hamas tunnel is discovered inside a residential area. Hamas routinely puts Palestinians in the line of fire, strategically using them as human shields to inflate the Palestinian death count in order to raise international sympathy.
The IDF has taken photographs of the Hamas tunnel city for evidence, since broadening its response to Hamas to include deployed ground troops. The IDF troops have found spaces built for holding hostages, as well as weapons, handcuffs, tranquilizers and IDF uniforms within the tunnels.
On July 18, 2014, the IDF reported the tunnels were sophisticated and advanced, “intended to carry out attacks such as abductions of Israeli civilians and soldiers alike; infiltrations into Israeli communities, mass murders and hostage-taking scenarios.” (NYT)
Just a day before, Israel saw 13 Hamas gunmen emerge from a tunnel near a kibbutz in southern Israel dressed as Israeli soldiers. After the Israeli Air Force responded to the invasion by bombing the tunnel, Hamas reported the terrorists all unharmed, but the IDF noted at least three were killed.
“The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.” (Psalm 9:15)
To build these tunnels, Hamas has redirected construction materials sent into Gaza intended to help the Palestinian people. In fact, since the beginning of 2014 alone, 4,680 trucks carrying 181 thousand tons of gravel, iron, cement, wood and other supplies have passed through the Kerem Shalom crossing. (IDF)
“We now know where so much of this concrete went—into the tunnels that run under Israel’s border, and into bunkers and bomb shelters for Gaza’s ruling elite,” columnist Jeffry Bloomberg writes in the Bloomberg View. “The civilians of Gaza, the ones exposed to Israel’s bombardments, do not benefit from these exclusive bomb shelters.”
“All understand that Hamas has absolutely no legitimate need for these tunnels, and that Israel has no defense against them short of destroying the whole network,” writes the Post.
When Israel withdrew its entire population from Gaza in 2005, Gaza’s Palestinians had the opportunity to build a Mediterranean paradise. Sadly, Hamas has had no real interest in improving the lives of ordinary Palestinians and building for them homes and a viable infrastructure. Their only goal is to kill Israelis and, if possible, eradicate the Jewish state.
Hamas has invested a fortune in building a network of terrorist tunnels, which are professionally constructed. Some are reinforced with cement and equipped with rail tracks, power cables and a communications system. Some are large enough to drive a truck through.
“The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God. But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.” (Psalm 9:16–18)
