Hamas continues to dig underground, building dozens of tunnels used to attack and kidnap Israelis while manufacturing powerful weapons, producing missiles that can reach major Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
The terrorist authority has trained civilians to become experts in building underground tunnel, IDF spokesmen stated on the military’s blog website.“Hamas’ military wing devotes about 20 percent of its budget to building these tunnels inside Gaza, many of which lead under the border into Israel.
IDF soldiers last October discovered the opening of a 60-foot deep and mile-long tunnel built by Gaza terrorists near the Israeli community of Ein HaShlosha.
“There’s one Gaza above ground, and another one underground,” said a senior officer in the IDF Intelligence Corps. “Tunneling has existed [in Gaza] since the mid 1990s, but it has really grown into an industry. More funds are invested in it – we’re talking about millions of dollars every year – and the need for engineers are growing.
“Our estimate is that there are tens of tunnels from Gaza into Israel, only half of which we know about. Hamas pays professionals to train special military units that have one simple purpose: to dig and tunnel underground.”
Since the end of Operation Pillar of Defense, in November 2012, Hamas has been busy rebuilding its arsenal. Because importing weapons has become more difficult for Hamas, the terrorist organization has begun manufacturing rockets inside Gaza, and Hamas is producing the M-75, which can reach as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
“They focus on rockets of higher quality,” explained the officer. “During Operation Pillar of Defense, only five M-75 rockets were fired, but we expect more in a future conflict.” The rocket is only one part of Hamas’ expanding arsenal. Today there are more than 10,000 rockets, mortar shells and ammunition in the hands of the Gaza terrorists.