U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro last Thursday visited the terror tunnel uncovered by the IDF near Gaza. Brig. Gen. Mickey Edelstein, Commander of the Gaza Division, took the ambassador on a tour of the network of tunnels dug by Arab terrorists.
“Even though I have seen the photos of the tunnel in the papers, the truth is I was shocked by what I saw,” Shapiro said in Hebrew. “It is clear that this tunnel has only one purpose: to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. There is no justification for this in our eyes; in no way will the U.S. allow this. The U.S. fully condemns these acts by terror groups.”
“US condemns terrorist tunnels, supports Israel’s right and ability to self-defense, and is focused on advancing negotiations for peace,” tweeted the American ambassador following the tour.
The booby-trapped terror tunnel, exposed by the IDF on Oct. 7, begins in the Gaza town of Absan al-Zariz, located between the city of Khan Younis and the Gaza security fence. It extends for 1.7 kilometers, ending right near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, inside Israel.
Hamas and other terror organizations in Gaza invest millions of dollars and resources in order to operate an intricate network of tunnels leading into Israel. These tunnels are used for attacks and kidnappings, as in the case of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit. The IDF spokesperson’s office stated that terrorists are consistently using construction materials transferred into the Gaza Strip by Israel as humanitarian aid in order to build such tunnels.
The IDF Spokesperson Unit told Tazpit News Agency that three such “attack tunnels” have been discovered in 2013.