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| ==Tunnel attacks== | ==Tunnel attacks== | ||
| In the |
In the ], Palestinian militants used a tunnel to kidnap Israeli soldier ].<ref> How Hamas uses its tunnels to kill and capture Israeli soldiers,Terrence McCoy, July 21, 2014, Washington Post.</ref> | ||
| On July 17, 2014, Hamas militants crossed the Israeli border through a terror tunnel in an attempt to attack the farming village of ] but were stopped by Israeli Defense Forces.<ref> IDF thwarts Gaza terrorists from attempted tunnel infiltration into Israel, Yaakov Lappin, July 17, 2014, Jerusalem Post.</ref> | On July 17, 2014, Hamas militants crossed the Israeli border through a terror tunnel in an attempt to attack the farming village of ] but were stopped by Israeli Defense Forces.<ref> IDF thwarts Gaza terrorists from attempted tunnel infiltration into Israel, Yaakov Lappin, July 17, 2014, Jerusalem Post.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 15:37, 29 July 2014
Not to be confused with Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels.Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip, also referred to as Hamas attack tunnels, is a form of tunnel warfare employed by the Hamas-led government of the semi-autonomous Palestinian population of Gaza. According to the Israel Ministry of foreign Affairs, unlike the Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels built in southern Gaza to smuggle goods prohibited by the government of Egypt from entering Gaza, or to avoid customs duties, these tunnels are those constructed by the military wing of Hamas under the Israel-Gaza border for the sole and express purpose of military attacks on Israel.
Strategic objectives
Palestinian military personnel in Gaza explained to news Web site al-Monitor that the purpose of the tunnel was to conduct operations behind enemy lines in the event of an Israeli operation against Gaza. A Palestinian militia document obtained by al-Monitor and also published in the Washington Post described the objectives of the under-border tunnels:
The tunnel war is one of the most important and most dangerous military tactics in the face of the Israeli army because it features a qualitative and strategic dimension, because of its human and moral effects, and because of its serious threat and unprecedented challenge to the Israeli military machine, which is heavily armed and follows security doctrines involving protection measures and preemption...... to surprise the enemy and strike it a deadly blow that doesn’t allow a chance for survival or escape or allow him a chance to confront and defend itself.
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, an Israeli security think tank, describes tunnel warfare as a shifting the balance of power: "Tunnel warfare provided armies facing a technologically superior adversary with an effective means for countering its air superiority." According to the center, tunnels conceal missile launchers, facilitate attacks on strategic targets like Ben-Gurion Airport, and allow cross-border access to Israeli territory.
The Israeli government has called the tunnels "terror tunnels," because of the potential to target civilians.
The Wall Street Journal described an attack tunnel inspected by one of its reporters as, "designed for launching murder and kidnapping raids. The 3-mile-long tunnel was reinforced with concrete, lined with telephone wires, and included cabins unnecessary for infiltration operations but useful for holding hostages."
The Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv reported that the tunnels were to be utilized in a mass casualty terror attack planned to take place on the Jewish high holy day of Rosh Hashanah, September 24, 2014. The plan was described to reporter Ariel Kahane by unnamed Israeli security sources, and reportedly revealed to the Israeli security Cabinet by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The alleged plot entailed a planned assault in which two hundred of heavily-armed Hamas fighters would have emerged at night from more than a dozen tunnels and infiltrate Israeli territory, killing and/or abducting Israeli citizens .
Tunnel attacks
In the 2006 Gaza cross-border raid, Palestinian militants used a tunnel to kidnap Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
On July 17, 2014, Hamas militants crossed the Israeli border through a terror tunnel in an attempt to attack the farming village of Sufa, Israel but were stopped by Israeli Defense Forces.
On July 21, 2014 10 armed militants crossed the Israeli border through a terror tunnel in an attempt to attack Kibbutz Nir Am, but were killed in the attempt.
Tunnel construction
Between January and October 2013, three tunnels under the border were identified by Israel– two of which were packed with explosives.
Hamas is estimated to have poured $30 million and 600,000 tons of concrete into building the tunnels. Each tunnel is estimated to cost upwards of $1 million.
A 2012 paper written for the Journal of Palestine Studies reported that Hamas uses children to build tunnels, and at least 160 of them have died in the construction of the tunnels.
Criticism
An editorial in the Washington Post described the offensive tunnels as "using tons of concrete desperately needed for civilian housing" and also as endangering civilians because they were constructed under civilian homes "heavily populated Shijaiyah district" and underneath the al-Wafa Hospital.
External links
References
- Behind the headlines: Hamas' terror tunnels, July 22, 2014, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Hamas' attack tunnels are transforming war with Israel, July 29, 2014, John Batchelor, Al Jazerra America.
- Behind the headlines: Hamas' terror tunnels, July 22, 2014, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ^ Abu Amer, Adnan. "Tunnel May Signal Shift In Hamas-Israel Conflict". Al Monitor. Al Monitor. Retrieved 29/07/2014.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - How Hamas uses its tunnels to kill and capture Israeli soldiers,Terrence McCoy, July 21, 2014, Washington Post.
- Halevi, Jonathan D. "Hamas's Attack Tunnels: Analysis and Initial Implications". Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
- Behind the headlines: Hamas' terror tunnels, July 22, 2014, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- How Hamas uses its tunnels to kill and capture Israeli soldiers,Terrence McCoy, July 21, 2014, Washington Post.
- The Moral Chasm Between Israel and Hamas; The 3-mile-long tunnel from Gaza was designed for launching murder and kidnapping raids. James Conway, July 24, Wall Street Journal.
- Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Hamas planned Rosh Hashanah attack through Gaza tunnels, July 28, 2014.
- How Hamas uses its tunnels to kill and capture Israeli soldiers,Terrence McCoy, July 21, 2014, Washington Post.
- IDF thwarts Gaza terrorists from attempted tunnel infiltration into Israel, Yaakov Lappin, July 17, 2014, Jerusalem Post.
- 10 terrorists killed attempting to infiltrate Israel through tunnel, Yaakov Lappin, 07/21/2014, Jerusalem Post.
- Fiske, Gavriel and Ginsburg. (13 October 2013). "IDF blames Hamas for ‘terror tunnel’ from Gaza to Israel Defense minister halts transfer of construction supplies to the Strip after 500 tons of cement used to construct underground passage"
- Secret Tunnels Under Israel Reveal Threat From Gaza, Calev Ben-David, July 27, 2014, Newsweek.
- Liel Leibovitz|July 23, 2014, Some Concrete Facts About Hamas, Tablet Magazine.
- How Hamas uses its tunnels to kill and capture Israeli soldiers,Terrence McCoy, July 21, 2014, Washington Post.
- http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/At-least-160-children-died-digging-tunnels-for-Hamas-369138
- , The U.S. should push for the disarming of Hamas in Gaza-Israel cease-fire, July 23, 2014, Washington Post.
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