Less than week after the start of a hostage release-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, IDF troops discovered another Gaza terror tunnel shaft just 100 meters (330 feet), not even a tenth of a mile from the Israeli border.
For comparison, Kibbutz Kerem Shalom is located about 244 meters (800 feet, a little over a tenth of a mile) from southern Gaza.
The subterranean passage was found during military operations to clear the area, according to a report Wednesday (Jan. 22) by Israel Hayom.
Explosives were found within the tunnel shaft, located in southern Gaza. Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, Holit, Sufa and Nir Yitzhak are among the Israeli communities located in the area.
Equally disturbing, Gaza terrorists are continuing their attempts to infiltrate Israel – a clear violation of the agreement and a deadly threat to Israeli civilians.
In response, Israeli forces fired warning shots at those who approached the border area; in some cases, the forces fired to kill.
The IDF is continuing efforts to create a buffer zone within Gaza along the borders with Israel. At present the buffer is 700 meters wide in most areas, and just 400 meters wide at other points.
Meanwhile, pressure from the United States – in the form of negotiations now led by US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, a close friend of the Qatari government that supports Hamas – continues to dictate when, how and where the Israel Defense Forces can operate to protect the nation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced three goals at the start of the war; returning the hostages kidnapped by the terrorists, dismantling Hamas along with its ability to wage war and rule the enclave; and ensuring that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israelis.
Fifteen months after the start of the war, at least one and possibly two Hamas military battalions remain. The terrorist organization still retains control over significant sections of the Gaza, with the full support of the enclave’s “civilian” population, and the enclave still poses a deadly threat to the State of Israel.
