Defense minister: Finding tunnels is our top priority
Ya'alon says while Israel doesn't seek another conflict, it will strike Hamas hard if it attempts to challenge the IDF or disrupt the lives of Israelis.
Following the discovery of an attack tunnel leading from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon stressed Monday that the search for Hamas's attack tunnels is the Israeli defense establishment's highest priority.
"We don't seek another conflict, but if Hamas tries to challenge the State of Israel and disrupt the lives of the Gaza border residents, it will suffer a very powerful blow," Ya'alon added.
"Before, during and obviously after Operation Protective Edge we’ve been dedicating a lot of technological, intelligence and military efforts towards discovering tunnels from the Gaza strip. We have discovered many tunnels and we are adding to and centralizing our efforts to that end," he said.
While Hamas has seen several of its tunnels collapse and some of its diggers killed, "we don't fool ourselves to think that Hamas will draw the conclusions, stop digging tunnels and set its efforts instead to improving life in the Gaza Strip for the benefit of its residents," the defense minister went on to say. "That is why we will continue our different efforts to discovering tunnels."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Ya'alon's words and praised the IDF and the security forces for the discovery while emphasizing the considerable financial investment which has gone toward thwarting the terror tunnel threat. After stating Israel's determination to "respond stongly respond strongly to any attempt to attack its soldiers and civilians." Netanyahu addressed the residents of Gaza.
"I want to say to the residents of Gaza - The IDF is operating 24/7 in order to ensure your safety and your daily routines."
The discovery of the tunnel comes two years after Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, when the IDF entered the Gaza Strip to flush out its mortar and rocket supplies after months of persistent rocket fire on Israel, as well as to destroy a network of tunnels being dug across Israel’s southern border.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) warned on Monday that Hamas is seeking to surprise Israel with what he dubbed as “a kind of 'Yom Kippur War' of terror.”
The Gaza terror organization, he said, is planning a multi-faceted attack which included penetration into Israel, killing and kidnappings.
"Our worst fears have come true," Bennett said. "Over the two years that have passed since Operation Protective Edge, Hamas hasn't been deterred from re-intensifying its efforts. It has made the construction of terror tunnels - penetrating deep into Israel - into a national project. This is a top national goal for them and the time has come for us to internalize that,” he continued.
Bennett also sought to demonstrate Israel’s resolve to counter the threats posed by Hamas, promising to protect the citizens of the Gaza border region and even hinting at the renewal of military hostilities. “Digging into our territory constitutes a violation of (our) sovereignty and justifies all necessary action," he said.
"The State of Israel must provide security for the residents of the south, prevent the (threat of tunnels) at all cost, and not rely on the idea that Hamas has been deterred," the Bayit Yehudi leader added.
Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, meanwhile, called to overthrow the Hamas regime in Gaza.
"If we already know that Hamas is preparing itself for the next conflict, why are we letting it decide the timing? The State of Israel needs to decide what it wants and unfortunately, the government is not able to decide," he said.
"I have news for you. Even during this interview the Palestinians are digging more attack tunnels," he claimed, adding that the Palestinians were also developing cyber capabilities.
Opposition leader lsaac Herzog blamed what he dubbed "the chatterboxes" in the government which, he argued, "had promised us that there will be deterrence and quiet for many years, but it turns out that Haniyeh is not scared of Bennett and Mohammed Deif does not take Netanyahu into consideration. The time has come to establish an Israeli government, whose leaders keep quiet and hit the enemy in the head."
Yoav Galant (Kulanu), the former IDF commander of the Southern Command, told Ynet that while he believed the current strategy to locate tunnels appeared to be succeeding, another conflict with Hamas could be imminent.
“The IDF needs to regroup in the coming days and prepare for another wide scale conflict against Gaza this summer. I hope it doesn’t happen but it needs to prepare," Galant said.
