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Hamas has constructed massive infrastructure along its border with Israel.
Israeli sources said Hamas has built numerous military and civilian assets along the eastern frontier of the Gaza Strip. They said Hamas has used the assets to conceal the digging of tunnels from the Gaza border into the Jewish state.
“We’re in a race with Hamas on who will get there first,” Israeli parliamentarian Haim Yellin said, “Israel with a technological development to locate tunnels, or Hamas succeeding in crossing the border and opening an entrance into Israel for the terrorists.”
In a recent tour, Yellin and regional representatives pointed to Hamas preparations for another war with Israel. Visiting journalists were shown Hamas military positions, including a cement factory just meters from the Israeli border fence.
The Hamas fortifications were surrounded by concrete and sandbags and said to serve as entrances to tunnels that penetrate Israel. The sources said the factory supplied cement for tunnels and other military facilities.
During the tour, Hamas crews were seen delivering equipment to sustain construction. Hamas troops patrolled the Israeli border on motorcycles within meters of Israel Army positions.
“We’ve lost the deterrence sooner than expected,” Yellin said.
Yellin, who lives in an Israeli community just meters from the border fence, pointed to Israeli restraint amid Hamas tunnel construction. He said Hamas has been preparing for war with Israel since at least July 2015.
“This is a completely absurd reality,” Yellin said. “It’s all out in the open, and all of this has been developing over the past six months.”
Israel’s military has acknowledged the construction of Hamas attack tunnels, two of which collapsed in late January 2016. In contrast, the Defense Ministry has denied that any of the tunnels penetrated Israel.
“The threat of offensive tunneling is the No. 1 mission this year,” Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said. “There’s widespread activity consisting of initiatives and of us searching for every possible idea to neutralize this threat.”
