Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, warned Sunday in an Arabic-language interview that “Israeli genius has found a solution to all the terror tunnels.”
Mordechai told Palestinian Authority Arabs, “Just as there is ‘Iron Dome’ for the air, there’s a technological dome of steel underground.
“I want to send a message to everyone who is digging, or gets too close to the tunnels: As you’ve seen in the past two months, these tunnels bring only death.”
The latter remark is a blunt reference to recent Israeli operations to destroy three major terror tunnels in recent weeks. Terrorists from Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist organization, and from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, both died in the attacks.
In addition, Mordechai informed the Palestinian Authority leadership that due to the extensive construction and strategic military design of the latest tunnel, and its complex design, the IDF has decided to close the Kerem Shalom Crossing for the time being.
On Sunday, hours after the IDF confirmed having destroyed the latest terror tunnel that crossed into Israel, IDF Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir toured the area to view the site.
Zamir expressed his appreciation to the Gaza Division, the Southern Brigade and all the other forces “involved for the precise operation” of tracking and destroying the tunnel.
“We are determined to continue in our efforts to eradicate terror tunnels and to do whatever is necessary to protect the Israeli citizens,” he said, adding that construction of the tunnels “first and foremost harms the residents of Gaza.”
The newest tunnel to be destroyed was one that was described as “different” from those seen earlier, passing under and near strategic Israeli targets that included gas pipelines and a military installation as well as beneath the Kerem Shalom Crossing between Israel and Gaza, as well as beneath the Gaza-Egypt border.
The tunnel, which stretched nearly a mile long, constituted an open violation of Israeli sovereignty and was destroyed from within Israeli territory.