They do this so that when Israel defends itself against their jihad attacks, they can claim that the Israelis are “targeting civilians.” The world media eagerly disseminates such claims for them.
“Hamas placing rockets near water reservoirs, digging dozens of ‘terror tunnels,’” by Elhanan Miller for the Times of Israel, January 23:
Hamas is increasingly using sensitive civilian facilities in Gaza to protect its military assets from being targeted by Israel, ahead of a further round of conflict. It is also digging dozens of “terror tunnels” into Israel, The Times of Israel has learned.
Gaza’s Islamist rulers have been placing rocket launching pads next to water reservoirs, and attaching reconnaissance cameras to mosque minarets and water towers, The Times of Israel was told, in a bid to avoid IAF airstrikes during an upcoming round of confrontation.
The IDF has noticed a recent shift in Hamas’s strategy: While actively preventing rocket launches toward Israel by rogue groups in the Gaza Strip, the Islamist organization — which violently took control of the territory in 2007 and has ruled it ever since — is investing its limited resources digging tunnels leading into Israel for the purposes of a large-scale terror attack or a kidnapping modeled after that of Gilad Shalit in June 2006. At the same time, Hamas still maintains a large number of locally manufactured M-75 rockets, which can reach Tel Aviv and beyond.
The 2009 Goldstone Report — commissioned by the United Nations to investigate the Gaza war, known in Israel as Operation Cast Lead, that year — blasted Israel for targeting the Maqadmeh Mosque in Gaza’s Jabaliya neighborhood, killing 15 people and wounding 40. Goldstone initially accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, a claim he retracted in 2011. Israel said at the time that Hamas was firing rockets into Israel from positions adjacent to schools and mosques, and storing ammunition in or close to schools and mosques as well.
Dozens of tunnels are currently being dug into Israel, the IDF estimates, at a cost of over $1 million per tunnel. One such tunnel exposed last October, from Khan Yunis to Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, ran for 1,700 meters (1 mile) and contained over 500 tons of cement arches. The men employed in the digging of the tunnels belong to the Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing.
Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad are maintaining the understandings reached with Israel following Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012. Since that brief war, the number of rockets fired at Israel from Gaza has dropped dramatically: forty-seven rockets, none of which was fired by Hamas. Last year, Hamas established a special unit comprising hundreds of soldiers to prevent rocket fire at Israel by breakaway factions of Islamic Jihad and other insubordinate groups in the territory.
On Tuesday, Hamas deployed its anti-launching unit along the border with Israel, following a recent escalation in the Strip that included rocket attacks on Israel and retaliations by the Israeli Air Force. Anticipating further attacks from Gaza, the southern city of Ashdod canceled school on Monday, leaving 4,000 pupils at home.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday warned Gaza’s Hamas rulers not to forget past lessons, alluding to Israel’s decisive showings in the two recent rounds of violence
“We foil terrorist attacks when we identify that they are in the making and we respond against those who attack us,” Netanyahu said. “If Hamas and the other terror organizations forgot this lesson, they will learn it again the hard way and very soon.”

JessieJames says
“We foil terrorist attacks when we identify that they are in the making and we respond against those who attack us,” Netanyahu said. “If Hamas and the other terror organizations forgot this lesson, they will learn it again the hard way and very soon.”
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Is there any comparison between Netanyahu and Putin and the wimpy ass lying jerk we got in the white house when it comes to responding to terrorism?
Unlike obama, Netanyahu knows who his enemies are and is not afraid to take them to task. And with no help from Kerry I might add. The U.S. has driven a stake in the heart of trust with Israel. And if one of Israel’s retaliatory rockets kills a couple of “so called civilians” in Gaza the fools in the white house are quick to condem Israel of the atrocities no matter the innocent Jewish lives that were lost. I am very proud of my Jewish father and my prayers are with Israel.
Salah says
Hamas is in great trouble, and it’s not coming from Israel!
“Gaza is our next stop,” an anonymous senior official declared, and he explained that it was necessary to topple Hamas to smash the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/egypt-israel-gaza-hamas-tamarod-movement.html#
Rob says
Where are the aid donors who give all these construction materials?
Why are they not asking to see the civil infrastructure that has been built with the gift?
Shouldn’t the young men who labour to build the runnels, be better employed learning a skill or getting an education?
Larry A. Singleton says
“….and contained over 500 tons of cement arches.”
“Where are the aid donors who give all these construction materials?”
“Why are they not asking to see the civil infrastructure that has been built with the gift?”
Nailed it. Nailed it. Nailed it.
One of the main thing these people whine about, particularly, Liberal dumb-asses like Richard Falk. Whose article, “Azmi Bishara, the Right of Resistance and the Palestinian Ordeal” I finally got myself to wade through about a week ago. I seemed to remember something that he said so I dug out the article and sure enough there he was crying about Israel’s “collective punishments” against the Palestinians. Particularly when it came to “Interferences with normal economic activities”. I’m probably missing a better or more specific example, but for some reason that one seemed to pop up in my brain when I saw that “500 tons” of… …”normal economic activities”. You get the picture.
Yeah, I would really like to see an article where they expand on how all that “legitimate” building material” went into building terror tunnels and the ABC’s of the whole thing. THAT would be a neat article.
dumbledoresarmy says
From the article – “Dozens of tunnels are currently being dug into Israel, the IDF estimates, at a cost of over $1 million per tunnel. One such tunnel exposed last October, from Khan Yunis to Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, ran for 1,700 meters (1 mile) and contained over 500 tons of cement arches.”
Well: it should not be beyond Israel’s technological capabilities to discover the places where these tunnels are being dug. Personally, I wouldn’t let the mohammedans know that I knew where they were digging. I wouldn’t publicise any discoveries *at all*. But once I knew where the tunnels were, I’d keep an eye on them and figure out some way – maybe multiple alternate ways – to turn the tunnel into a death-trap for any jihadis who tried to use it. After all, one can pour water, or sand, or gas of various kinds down a tunnel; or boobytrap it with explosive charges. Or just lie in wait near the exit (or not even nearby – think snipers and UAVs) and when the attack is launched, take out the jihadis as they emerge.
gravenimage says
Hamas placing rockets near water towers and other sensitive civilian facilities
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Of course they are—for the same reason the place missile launchers by schools, hospitals, and homes.
More:
Gaza’s Islamist rulers have been placing rocket launching pads next to water reservoirs, and attaching reconnaissance cameras to mosque minarets…
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“Mosque minarets”—Mosques are not like churches and other places of worship. They are regularly used to store armaments.
More:
Dozens of tunnels are currently being dug into Israel, the IDF estimates, at a cost of over $1 million per tunnel. One such tunnel exposed last October, from Khan Yunis to Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, ran for 1,700 meters (1 mile) and contained over 500 tons of cement arches.
…………………………
“Over $1 million per tunnel”—and yet, so many tools in the West have a vision of “plucky freedom fighters” armed with garden spades and plastic buckets. Not exactly…
As noted, someone is funding this, as well as shipping in significant supplies—I’m sure this is being fraudulently presented as legitimate construction.
fair_dinkum says
the lives of your own people are cheap when you habitually use human shields as part of your strategy.
““We foil terrorist attacks when we identify that they are in the making and we respond against those who attack us,” Netanyahu said. “If Hamas and the other terror organizations forgot this lesson, they will learn it again the hard way and very soon.””
well said.
Rose418 says
Test
dumbledoresarmy says
The rate the mohammedans are going, the whole of jihad fortress Gaza might as well be classified as one vast arms and munitions dump and arms-and-explosives factory, with at least one rocket in every cupboard and a bomb under every bed. And we all know just how cavalier mohammedans are about all those silly nfidel-invented “occupational health and safety” ideas.
Methinks things must be fast reaching the point where one sparking cable or dropped cigarette in the wrong place – or one jihadi getting his recipe wrong – is going to send all or most of Gaza skyward in the mother of all “Work Accidents”.
Alternatively, the Israelis will drop one neatly-targeted rocket to take out a known weapons lab or a single known jihad gang boss…but when it hits it will set off a chain reaction and everything *else* will go up, too.