Hamas Building "Terror Tunnels," Shooting Rockets At Israeli City Of Ashkelon And Other Cities Near Gaza

The Jerusalem Post reports that facing "a possible new conflict against Hamas, concern is growing within the IDF regarding increased efforts by Palestinian terrorist groups to dig tunnels under the border that could be used to infiltrate into Israel and perpetrate attacks. According to IDF sources, the number of tunnels has grown in recent years. Hamas is under orders to dig 'terror tunnels' along the border. Hamas has split into five different regional brigades – north, Gaza City, central Gaza, Khan Younis and Rafah. The exact number of tunnels is unknown to the IDF. Tunnels have been used in the past by Hamas and other terrorist groups to infiltrate into Israel. The terrorists who abducted Gilad Schalit from his military post near Kerem Shalom, in June 2006, crossed into Israel through an underground tunnel."

The Jerusalem Post further reports on the Israel's war with Palestinian terror writing that "an escalation in the shelling of southern Israel by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza continued on Sunday, when a Grad-type rocket fired from Gaza slammed into southern Ashkelon in the evening hours. Two residents suffered shock as a result of the blast, and were taken to a clinic for medical treatment... Earlier on Sunday, a mortar and two Kassam rockets were fired at southern Israel, security officials said. On Saturday, a significant escalation in Palestinian shelling of southern Israel occurred when 50 mortars were fired at farming communities in the western Negev. A man and his wife were injured by shrapnel as they sought shelter in a safe zone. As Purim drew to an end on Sunday night, the IDF was expected to respond firmly to the increase in Palestinian attacks. Earlier responses may have been more muted, due to the hope of defense chiefs to spare southern communities more Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks. Also on Sunday, violence continued to flare up along the border with Gaza, as an IDF tank came under missile fire. Palestinian gunmen in the northern part of the strip fired a guided antitank missile at the Merkava Mk 4, which was equipped with the IDF’s new active-protection system known as Trophy."

“Hamas doesn’t recognize our right to exist here – it isn’t a partner for peace, or for any agreement – and the right way to deal with it is force,” said Knesset opposition leader Tzipi Livni over the weekend. “That is why Israel decided on Operation Cast Lead. In everything that is related to the civilians’ ability to cope with the rocket fire and to the activities against Hamas, there are no arguments between opposition and coalition.”

Former IDF Spokeswoman and Likud MK Miri Regev warned that “certain terror groups should not test the IDF again." Again? Why does Israel always wait for it to happen "again" and for lives to be lost before it decides to respond swiftly and strongly to this Islamoterrorist foe bent on her complete destruction. Tweet