by AP and Nikki Guttman
After destroying fourth terror tunnel in as many months, IDF says latest tunnel seems to have been attempt to "recycle" part of previously demolished grid
An Israeli tank and military vehicle next to a security barrier
near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip
Photo: Reuters
Another attack
tunnel built by the Hamas terrorist group was destroyed by the Israel
Defense Forces on Sunday, the IDF said after the demolition.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan
Conricus said the tunnel had been intended to connect to an older one
Israel partially destroyed in the southern Gaza Strip during the 2014
war.
The latest tunnel is the first known case of Hamas trying to "recycle" part of its devastated tunnel network.
Conricus said Israel had followed Hamas'
progress for some time and that the targeted tunnels will now be
impossible to rebuild. Conricus said building the tunnels was a "futile
effort" by the Islamic militants and a waste of resources that could
have been put to better use to aid Gaza's destitute residents.
"The IDF will not allow the lives of soldiers or civilians to be in danger," the IDF said in a statement.
"We want security and stability and we will take action to combat any attempt to violate our sovereignty."
According to the military statement, the
tunnel was located in the Rafah area and posed no threat to Israeli
communities near the Gaza border. It did not penetrate Israel at any
point.
The coastal territory has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas wrested power over it in 2007.
Israel has placed a high priority on
halting the tunnel threat since Hamas used the tunnel network to
infiltrate Israel during the 2014 war. Although the tunnels did not
manage to reach civilian areas, the infiltrations caught Israel off
guard. One attack killed five Israeli soldiers and terrified the local
population.
The tunnel demolished Sunday was the fourth Israel has destroyed over the past four months.
The operation followed Israeli airstrikes
on Hamas targets in Gaza over the weekend in response to bombs planted
along the border that were detonated in an attempt to harm Israeli
troops.
"In a systematic manner, with the help of
quality intelligence and groundbreaking technology, Israel is destroying
all of Hamas' tunnels one by one," Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman
said Sunday following the demolition.
"They thought that they could attack us
from underground, but they have hit an iron wall. Hamas has invested
billions in the tunnel project, and now they are sinking in the sand.
"I would suggest that Hamas invest its
resources in the welfare of the residents of Gaza, because by the end of
this year, its tunnel project will be entirely destroyed."
Israel has been hard at work building an
ambitious subterranean barrier to detect and prevent attack tunnels.
Israeli military officials say the secretive project will be a major
deterrent against what Israel has seen as a strategic threat since the
last clash with Hamas.
Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. During the most recent conflict in 2014, Israel destroyed 32 tunnels.
AP and Nikki Guttman
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/03/18/israel-demolishes-hamas-terror-tunnel-in-gaza/
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