Hamas tunnelsIsrael building underground wall around Gaza to foil Hamas’s tunnel digging

Israel counting on a wall to thwart Hamas tunnels // Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Israel has begun work on a deep underground wall along its border with the Gaza Strip in order to prevent Hamas from digging cross-border tunnels into Israel.

Hamas had dug a network of tunnels under civilian neighborhoods in Gaza, where the organization’s leadership finds shelter during wars with Israel. Hamas has also dug many tunnels under the border with Egypt, which it had used to smuggle arms and materiel into Gaza. Egypt has destroyed most of these tunnels.

Hamas has also dug a few tunnels under the Gaza border with Israel, and used these tunnels during the 2014 to launch attacks inside Israel.

Fox News reports that thebarrier will run about 37 miles along the border with Gaza, and be equipped with sensors. The Gaza Strip, where about 1.8 million Palestinians live, is already surrounded by a sophisticated system of walls, fences, sensors, and a military patrol road – and the new structure will extends these barriers underground.

The Israeli media reports that wall will cost about $600 million, and will take years to complete.

In the last phase of the summer 2014 between Israel and Hamas, Israel methodically destroyed all the tunnels it had discovered. Hamas said it was building new tunnels for defense purposes – and has been funding the construction with money sent to Gaza by charities and international aid organizations.

Since the beginning of the year, Israel has discovered two tunnels reaching across the border. The tunnels were destroyed.