Hamas was able to dig tunnels for terrorists at the rate of several yards a day, thanks to an electric excavation machine made in China.
The IDF previously has said it took Hamas up to five years to build some of the tunnels, but Tuesday’s report by Israel Defense of the excavation machine indicates that it took far less time to dig into Israeli territory.
The more sophisticated tunnels were paved with cement, one of the items that Israel allowed into Gaza for “humanitarian” purposes of building homes and public facilities, which for Hamas means storehouses and factories for rockets and tunnels, paved with cement s that terrorists can run quickly with heavy arms to attack Jews.
It is not known whether the excavation machine arrived in Gaza by way of Egypt or from Gaza, but it obviously could be claimed it was needed by Hamas to expedite excavations for houses, schools and hospitals. Instead, the machine went to work to work to expand Hamas’ terror tunnel system with the Chinese-made machine that has three 40-inch diameter blades.
The exposure of a tunnel near Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha during the war revealed details of the machine and as well as thousands of feet of electrical cables.
The IDF has said it has destroyed all of the tunnels that are known.
The unanswered questions now or not only if there are more tunnels, but also if Hamas is digging more tunnels with the excavation machine during the ceasefire.