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Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip, also referred to as Hamas attack tunnels, and terror tunnels is a form of tunnel warfare employed by the Hamas-led government of the semi-autonomous Palestinian population of Gaza. 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

A Palestinian militia document obtained by the news Web site al-Monitor and published in the Washington Post described the objective of the under-border tunnels as “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.

Kidnapping

Columnist Jeffrey Goldberg and describes the tunnels as "kidnapping tunnels" fro which attackers emerge equipped with "tranquilizers and handcuffs" to enable the kidnapping of Israelis. 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."

Tunnel attacks

In the 2006 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 used children to build tunnels, and at least 160 of them have died in the construction of the tunnels.

Criticism

In addition to the primary criticism of the tunnels on the grounds that they are designed to enable terrorist attacks, the tunnels have been criticized on the grounds that they divert resources that could be used to build civilian infrastructure and economic development. 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

• New York Times Map of some of the tunnels

References

1. Behind the headlines: Hamas' terror tunnels, July 22, 2014, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2. How Hamas uses its tunnels to kill and capture Israeli soldiers,Terrence McCoy, July 21, 2014, Washington Post.
3. Halevi, Jonathan D. "Hamas's Attack Tunnels: Analysis and Initial Implications". Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
4. Destroying Hamas’s kidnapping tunnels only way to protect Israelis, Jeffrey Goldberg, July 28, 2014, National Post.
5. 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.
6. How Hamas uses its tunnels to kill and capture Israeli soldiers,Terrence McCoy, July 21, 2014, Washington Post.
7. IDF thwarts Gaza terrorists from attempted tunnel infiltration into Israel, Yaakov Lappin, July 17, 2014, Jerusalem Post.
8. 10 terrorists killed attempting to infiltrate Israel through tunnel, Yaakov Lappin, 07/21/2014, Jerusalem Post.
9. 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"
10. Secret Tunnels Under Israel Reveal Threat From Gaza, Calev Ben-David, July 27, 2014, Newsweek.
11. Liel Leibovitz|July 23, 2014, Some Concrete Facts About Hamas, Tablet Magazine.
12. How Hamas uses its tunnels to kill and capture Israeli soldiers,Terrence McCoy, July 21, 2014, Washington Post.
13. http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/At-least-160-children-died-digging-tunnels-for-Hamas-369138
14. , The U.S. should push for the disarming of Hamas in Gaza-Israel cease-fire, July 23, 2014, Washington Post.

External links

• Tunnel warfare
• 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict
• 2014 in Israel
• 2014 in the Gaza Strip
• Gaza–Israel conflict
• Tunnels in Israel