Why were we sleeping while Iran was building nuclear bombs? And make no mistake, Israel isn't going to stop them, I'm sorry to say!

So, dear author, how is the IDF supposed to detect and stop tunnels? That seems to be your main conjecture that is never proven. No, it is not an easy thing to detect, much less, stop a tunnel from being built or destroy an existing one. this article should be removed from Ynet lest people will believe it.

Mursi, the Obama's friend, gave to hamas this rockets, after the last war. About the tunnels, idf must care about hezbolla. Them build hundreds tunnels, and just wait the next war to go deep in Israel and kill inoccent people. Israel must find out this tunnels. Hamas is learning with Hezbolla. And with takfiris in Syria

Until Israelis destroy their internal enemies things will continue to go from bad to worse for the normal people.

why cant IDF place 200 solders on line 1-2 meter from his neighbor and make them walk along the border against Gaza, in 2-3 days the whole border area would be comped from tunnel openings in 200 meters deep

Israel needs to think two steps ahead.When Pals are tunneling into Israel from Gaza,one must expect that their buddies are tunneling into Kiryat Arba from Hebron.Perhaps they are tunneling into Metula form hezbolaland! Every possibility must be looked into.Sounds like underground micophones or sonar might be worthwhile aound Israel's entire perimeter.

You cannot squeeze blood out of a stone. Olmert is not a security guy, doesn't think that way and is a fish out of water which is why he got in huge trouble with nasrollah as he did not have a clue on how to proceed and halutz like eshel misjudged what the air force could do(forgot the lessons of viet nam). Livni is not as bad but is close to olmert in her obtuseness. Can you believe this-she said she knew about tunnels earlier but sinice there were no attacks(forgot about shalit),they wwere not a threat. But since hamas has used them multiple times in somewhat successful raids, she now sees them as a threat. oh, what an idiot-just like olmert. Israelis, next election, get rid of her, do not vote her in.Knowing allof this, you want her to give hamas room on the west bank to dig tunnels and to fire rockets? Are you out of your bloody minds?

STARTING WITH BB, with very few exception, the politicians running israel are a bunch of incompetent, impotent, self serving useless bunch. this offensive should have started a year and a half ago. and our brave boys are paying with their blood for trying to please the un, eu, hussein and the rest of the enemies of israel. and i bet, they are not going to allow the idf/iaf to finish the job.....

All of the wars, rockets and terror could have been avoided had Israel kept liberated Gaza. Plus we'd still have beautiful thriving Gush Katif. Israel must keep Gaza forever and rebuild our precious destroyed communities.

Should have.....

Eliminate them.

These tunnels, and the underground rocket launch network, were all built with thousands of tons of concrete and re-building equipment that Israel allowed into Gaza after earlier fighting - WITH STRICT ASSURANCES from the US, EU and UN that none would get to Hamas. It was all cynical lies. Israel will be asked to allow rebuilding supplies into Gaza once the current conflict is over. THIS TIME SAY "NO", without far more strict Israeli conditions, or they get nothing: 1] No sacks of concrete allowed into Gaza at all, onlywet mix in mixer trucks, with use on site monitored by forces Israel trusts, using real-time video to Israel, so Hamas can not use it for terror projects - one incident of diversion, and all construction aid stops for good. 2] No construction euipment of vehicles allowed into Gaza at all, unless there is a GPS tracking protocol and a mechanism to insure all equipment is removed from Gaza when projects are over, when not in use, all equipment will be stored in Israel overnight. 3] No reconstruction will be allowed until after Hamas discloses the exact location of all tunnels and underground rocket launchers, and until after they have all been dismantled by international forces Israel trusts. No exceptions. 4] No rebuilding aid of any kind from international donors will be allowed until AFTER those same donors pay for all the damage to Israeli structures, and that rebuilding is completed first. 5] No economic aid to Gaza or the PLO allowed in unless all economic damage to Israel is first repaired in full. 6] No food or agricultural water beyond bare essentials - no luxury goods - will be allowed into Gaza and no crossings through opened for exports until all rockets and rocket factories are removed from Gaza, and an airtight cordon is assembled by international peacekeeping forces Israel selects, to be permanently stationed in Egypt west of Rafah to end smuggling for good. If Egypt objects, they can remove from Sinai all the troops Israel allowed in, and face sanctions for allowing illegal weapons transfer across the demilitarized Sinai in the first place. 7] Lastly, no talks on Gaza rebuilding until the US, EU and UN agree to massive new economic and military sanctions on Iran for violating anti-weapons trafficking UN resolutions and previous sanctions.

Israel's leaders did not want to do anything that would show how stupid they were.

when you start an article with a question, you go about to answer it in your article, ie research and interview the leaders and ask them why? The answer is that Israel needed a good reason to enter the strip and kill a bunch of terrorists with expected collateral damage and still maintain a good image on the world stage. Also, they needed Tel Aviv to get attacked with missiles to get the public to be willing to sacrifice their kids in the hell hole.

Not Israel, the UN, PA....ANYONE can decide your future EXCEPT YOU The power is in YOUR HANDS Its time you decided AFTER TEN YEARS OF THE SAME ENOUGH is ENOUGH and smash the Hamas stranglehold for good

Can anyone suggest a good reason why this article need be printed at this point in time ?? Am I supposed to feel encouraged, motivated, or more patriotic as a result of seeing this article ?? If the author wants to undermine our current effort or bash the gov't at this time -- great job. Where was he with this contention in 2006 when Gilad Schalit was kidnapped through a terror tunnel ? This is certainly not the time for contrition nor for this trash.

his wonderful lifestyle and buying a NEW plane (whoopie) with a big bed... and feeling like a dictator with all its perks... why start a war or worry about tunnels? Life WAS good.

All those fabian fantasist alte kakker academics and journo-shmournos with their fairy tales, do you think that helped israelis stay in denial?

claim more than 60 tunnels on Gaza-Israel border. Seems to me that this extraordinary number of tunnels would have been a problem for the IDF to discover without U.S. intelligence. Maybe U.S. preferred not to inform us ? As to the other snafus - donkey, motorcycle, IDF uniformed terrorists - these are usual tactics in a war. Our problem is that we are too human and don't know how to play / fight dirty.

You are so right . But Ynet just adores trying to undermine our confidence and admiration for our amazing leaders. It's their raisin d'être . You know straight away it's an English ynet writer trying toooo hard. Sad lot, aren't they. Pity that the writer can't hear the mayor of Ashkelon talking now on channel one about the cursed complicated tunnels. He should be ashamed of his glib and superficial comments. But no, they won't remove it. They like glib and superficial .

Even UNWRA were chanting the mantra that Israel was not permitting Gaza to get enough supplies of Vital Building Materials for Buildings and Repair Now we know where they were going Over 55% was going DIRECTLY into building Bunkers and Tunnels for another of Hamas Wars and Terrorist Crimes against Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the West Bank So lets put Hamas into context They have deliberately sabotaged every chance for removing the blockade for a better life for Gazans by reaching an accomadation with Israel for over ten years DESPITE INDEPENDENCE Instead they have tried to promulgate the idea ENSHRINED IN THEIR CHARTER that Palestine would be built on the ashes of Israel NO MATTER HOW MANY GAZA LIVES WERE TO BE SACRIFICED (and THATS ON RECORD) and no matter how long the blockade Israel imposed With such resources and opportunities..Fishing, Agriculture, Gas, Water Desalination, Tourism...the Gaza Economy could have flourished. They would have had access to big markets in Egypt, Jordan and Israel But NO Hamas wanted to stranglehold on to power, purse strings and people by perpetuating a war without end In the meantime Gaza has LOST over £120 BILLION in potential revenue over the last ten years that's around $80,000 for EVERY MAN WOMAN AND CHILD But wait..not ALL Gazans are impoverished. IN THAT TIME just a handful of families have racked up around $4 - $10BILLION from corruption, back handers, smuggling. arms dealing, money laundering, property scams and LOCAL BLACK MARKETING on an industrial scale Is THAT what Gaza deserves? FREE GAZA

Print this info in Arabic on pamphlets and throw over Gaza, publish in all newspapers.... so they finally have their Arab spring and liberate themselves.

I know for a fact that the tunnel used to kidnap Shalit and kill his tank crew was discovered months before the incident. The intel officer in charge of dealing with the information, shrugged it off as a water canal being built by farmers. The sheer arrogance and stupidity of some people is beyond me.

I believe that the tunnels are opened at the last minute just before they are used so they are undetectable... except by electronic devices or dogs maybe.

We have the leaders we deserve. The South of Israel's population being attacked without relief by rockets, had a hell of a life since many years. Nobody seemed to care,being busy blaming the Orthodox world for their shortcomings and Lapid had a maximum of votes for promising to force the enemy Nr. ONE ,the Haredim, into the Secular world. Had Gaza attacks been dealt with before many years,the Hamas cancer would not have taken such huge proportions and we would not have lost so many lives on the battlefield. Let us learn from our mistakes by caring for each other, like a united family and so merit G-D's protection .

If the Gov knew about these tunnels in Gaza, and the threat they posed why was the army and Gov silent for so long- such an infringement should have been dealt wth long ago-

Why has Israel's gov't allowed hamas to dig these tunnels and to bring in the missiles that have created such havoc? They must have known, and it doesn't take a genius to imagine these missiles being used. I hate to be an arm-chair general but this should've been stopped years ago.

Chaim old buddy your memory has gone. Make an appointment for an Alzheimer checkup! More people were killed in and around the Gaza Strip until August 2005 than after the withdrawal. Facts: 58 months from October 2000 until 31st July 2005 - 122 killed Average per month 2.1 29 months from 1st August 2005 until 31st December 2008 - 27 killed Average per month 0.93

...that does not belong to them.