Human Shields: Gaza rocket site in civilian areas. Illustrative. Photo Courtesy of IDF Spokesperson
As the Israeli military continues to demolish the long line of terror tunnels that stretch from the Gaza Strip to Israel, they have also been taking notice of the resources used to build these tunnels. They’re not cheap—the IDF has already estimated a cost of more $90 million for the two-and-a-half dozen tunnels discovered as of July 27.
The IDF spokesperson’s Twitter feed reported that each tunnel has enough building materials to construct 19 medical clinics, or 86 homes, or six schools—at $3 million per tunnel. Instead, these construction supplies are going underground in efforts to target Israel.
“Imagine what Hamas could build with these resources instead of tunnels,” said a post on the IDF Blog. “Hundreds of homes and civilian structures for the residents of Gaza go unbuilt while the underground terror network continues to expand.”
These tunnels have proven lethal. On Monday, five Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas infiltrators into Israel through one of the tunnels, according to the IDF Blog.
Hamas is also using civilian cites to hide tunnel shafts. The IDF Spokeperson’s Twitter feed said that five mosques were found to be hiding weapons or tunnel shafts, and so the Israeli Air Force targeted them earlier this week.
Meanwhile, the Gaza terrorists’ toll on Israel continues to rise. In addition to the growing number of Israelis killed, the number of rockets fired at Israel since July 8 has crossed the 2,600 mark. The IDF Spokesperson’s Twitter feed said that as of Wednesday, more than 2,670 rockets had been launched at Israel.
And it’s not only Israelis who are suffering from the rocket attacks. The Twitter feed also noted that 50 Gaza-launched rockets landed in Gaza over a 24-hour stretch.
A threat to Israel, a threat to their own people, and pouring millions into the ground for terrorism—the IDF is seeking to expose Hamas and their tunnels in this war.
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, July 30, 2014)