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Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
The main threat: Tunnel dug by Hamas from Gaza towards Israel (archives)
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Failed truce seen as opportunity to thwart tunnel threat

Analysis: IDF echelon is pushing for a limited ground operation in Gaza in a bid to locate dozens of tunnels Hamas is planning to use for major terror attacks inside Israel.

The collapse of the ceasefire agreement creates an opportunity for the IDF to emerge from the current round with better achievements.

 

This holds a risk – Tuesday saw the first Israeli death since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, the home front is still expected to suffer and the Iron Dome system will not always intercept rockets – but the renewed fighting after the short break gives the army a possibility to thwart the main threat in the south: The threat of the Gaza tunnels.

 

 

That is the reason why the IDF echelon is now pushing for a limited ground operation aimed at locating tunnels leaving Gaza towards Israel.

 

Last week, the IDF unearthed a Hamas tunnel which was meant to reach the Kibbutz Kerem Shalom area, near the famous watchtower from Gilad Shalit's abduction. The tunnel was supposed to be used for a terror attack which Hamas had been working on for at least a year, and which would have included a killing spree in an Israeli community or military base.

 

The tunnel had been dug by dozens of activists at the orders of the leadership of Hamas' military wing, and was well hidden in order to be used on the crucial day – just like Southern Command officers estimated. Hamas was trying to imitate the IDF with an opening strike, as the army had done in Operation Pillar of Defense with the significant achievement of killing the military wing's commander, Ahmed Jabari.

 

The Military Intelligence Directorate had general intelligence about the existence of the tunnel originating in the southern Strip, so the Southern Command was prepared for such a scenario: The elite Egoz Reconnaissance Unit was stationed in the area alongside two tank corps and additional forces. Their job was to surprise the Hamas terrorists who were planning to carry out a major attack in a kibbutz or IDF base and kidnap soldiers or civilians into Gaza. The mission was defined as a national mission, and therefore almost all of the state's huge forces were recruited to locate the tunnel.

 

Last week, the IDF located the tunnel and struck it from the air, using Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs from warplanes. In total, 30 of these smart bombs were dropped within 300 meters, but failed to destroy the tunnel. The bombings created an explosion inside the tunnel, which was apparently caused by the Hamas activists' explosives and left eight of them dead. After the Air Force attack, Hamas bombed the Israeli side of the tunnel near Kibbutz Kerem Shalom.

 

According to the Southern Command's estimate, there are a number of similar tunnels around the Strip in difference stages of construction. A terror attack launched from these tunnels could be at a scope the IDF has been unfamiliar with so far in that region. Therefore, the Southern Command is pushing for a limited ground operation beyond the border fence in order to clear the tunnels and thwart such an incident in the future.

 

Senior IDF sources estimate that such an operation will last between one to two weeks at the most. According to a senior IDF official, due to the lack of intelligence which helps locate those tunnels, if they are not found it will only be a matter of time before Hamas executes a terror attack like the one it had planned in the Kerem Shalom area, and Israel will pay a heavy price.

 

Out of an understanding of what might happen next and preparations for Hamas' activities, the Southern Command has changed its defensive preparedness around Gaza, in accordance with the other surprises Hamas had in store apart from the tunnel – the infiltration from the sea and the UAVs.

 

On Tuesday it was revealed that the drone which entered Israel this week was not meant for surveillance purposes, but was carrying explosives and was supposed to carry out a terror attack on the ground in a populated area.

 

An analysis of Hamas' conduct reveals that the organization's command and control system has not been damaged during Operation Protective Edge, and that its commanders issue orders through messengers and other means.

 

In total, about 100 Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists were killed in the days of fighting, and according to a senior Southern Command official, the IDF had at least 14 Hamas regiment commanders in its crosshairs but decided not to target them as there were many uninvolved civilians around them.

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.16.14, 10:36
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