Underground Tunnel Exposed in Gaza
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) discovered a tunnel approximately 5,500 feet long and 60 feet deep extended beneath the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The tunnel was built with approximately 500 tons of cement and concrete. It has lighting and a rail for a small trolley, likely to carry terrorists back and forth between the border quickly and to smuggle prisoners. The IDF spotted the tunnel at the beginning of its creation and has kept track of the path all along before recently exposing it on October 13th. Exposing the tunnel will prevent attempts to attack Israeli civilians and soldiers.
The tunnel is supported by 25,000 U-shaped pieces of concrete, with black electrical wires running along the southern wall, along with communications cable. Hamas has used tunnels in the past to smuggle weapons and food for planned attacks against Israel. According to the Times of Israel, “The commander of the IDF’s Gaza Division, Brig. Gen. Miki Edelstein, stood on Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha’s fields, where potatoes were soon to be planted, and pointed to the gaping mouth of the tunnel. To build such a tunnel it takes more than months—it might be more than a year.”
Hamas has used 500 tons of Israeli-supplied cement to build the tunnel and others just like it. Israel sees this as “an extreme violation of the ceasefire.” This tunnel indicates the scope of Hamas’s subterranean warfare operations and commitment to armed resistance against Israel.” It is proof that Hamas intends to use tunnels as a springboard for future militant and terrorism attacks on Israel.
Tunnels have also been used to smuggle Israeli soldiers and civilians. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier, was abducted by Palestinian militants and transferred to Gaza by way of a tunnel in 2006 (like the one exposed this week) and was held for five years. He was released October 2011 in a trade for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, showing how Israel values even one life! (See story and You Tube by clicking here.)
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated the army ‘for exposing the Gaza terror tunnel’ at a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. ‘It is part of our aggressive policy against terror,” according to Globalpost.
Please continue to pray for the safety of Israel and that more of Hamas’ agenda will be exposed.