Watch: IDF blows up terror tunnel
As IDF blows up terror tunnel, GOC Southern Command says 'Hamas is preparing itself for war. Hamas is building tunnels, not playgrounds...Their tunnels will turn into deathtraps.'
The tunnel was neutralized in two stages. First, the tunnel was physically blocked in to keep Hamas militants from using it. Next, IDF army engineers filled the primary shaft with explosives and blew up it. The IDF announced that it will continue to investigate the tunnel to make sure that there are no secondary shafts leading into Israel.
Officials in the defense establishment say the tunnel was likely meant to be used in a strategic attack against Israel, in which dozens of Hamas fighters from the elite "Nukhba" unit would participate.
GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen Eyal Zamir made it clear that the IDF is ready for any scenario Wednesday morning.
He said that "Hamas is preparing itself for war. They're building tunnels, not playgrounds."
"We are locating these tunnels through a systematic effort. Hamas's attempts are known to us. We have a process of obtaining important information and developing our capabilities."
The Maj. Gen. further went on to threaten that "If Hamas makes a mistake, it will pay a heavy price. Their tunnels will turn into deathtraps."
Regarding possible solutions to the problem, Zamir said that "the overarching solution will be to create a barrier, and we are in the advanced stages of doing this."
At present, the solution to the tunnels is divided into two parts: the first is the discovery and identification of cross-border tunnels both during war and peacetime. Hamas plans to use these tunnels to send dozens of fighters into Israel with the aim of killing and kidnapping Israeli civilians.
The second part focuses on IDF soldiers' ability to fight inside the terror tunnels during the next war - either in Gaza or in southern Lebanon.
