Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip have taken responsibility for a mile and a half long tunnel that ran under the border between Israel and Gaza.
According to a report on a Hamas radio station website, the group’s armed wing claimed the tunnel. Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Islamic terror group’s military wing, said in an interview that Hamas’ armed brigades built the tunnel and were responsible for maintaining its operation.
Ubaida claimed the reason for the tunnel was to try and force Israel to release Hamas prisoners. The plot was similar to a 2006 military style operation where the terrorists kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit using a border tunnel. Israel released over 1400 Hamas inmates to obtain the release of Shalit.
The tunnel raised concern in Israel because it had been reinforced with concrete supports. Israel had recently lifted the ban on transporting construction materials into the Gaza Strip amid international pressure over the blockade. Israel had claimed they restricted the transport of materials because Islamic terrorists would use the materials to build fortified bases and weapons.
The Israeli army has discovered a mile long tunnel running from the Gaza Strip into Israel where government officials say it’s likely terrorists used the tunnel for attacks on civilians.
Israel has shut down all transfers of construction material to Gaza while Hamas is claiming that Israel is “exaggerating” the situation.
While Hamas’ political leaders were saying the claim by Israel was just an attempt to “justify the blockade” of the Gaza Strip, the spokesman for the military wing of Hamas said “the minds which manage to dig the tunnel can dig dozens more” implying that the tunnel was a military asset.
The Israeli military found explosives inside the tunnel that was about 60 feet deep. Experts said it would likely have taken a month to dig the tunnel.
Hamas has previously used tunnels as a tool in attacking Israeli civilians. For example, a tunnel was used in the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was kept prisoner in Gaza for over five years.
Christian leaders in Israel are starting to speak out against a string of attacks on church properties and religious sites.
The latest incident was an attack by vandals on the Protestant Cemetery of Mount Zion. The vandals destroyed graves belonging to major protestant figures of the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the graves belonged to a German diplomat who founded an orphanage in the city.
“We are striving so hard to promote dignity and respect among the living. And here we have our dead people … vandalized,” said the Very Rev. Hosam Naoum, caretaker of the Protestant cemetery. “No human would agree with this.”
Other attacks in the last year included an attack on a monastery in Latrun outside Jerusalem where “Jesus is a monkey” was spray painted on the century old building. Over the last three years, 17 Christian sites in the Holy Land have been reported vandalized.
Israel’s prime minister is warning that despite the tone of Iran’s new president regarding their nuclear program their end goal of obtaining a nuclear weapon has not changed.
“When it comes to nuclear weapons the only difference between the two is that Ahmadinejad is a wolf in wolf’s clothing, while Rouhani is a wolf in sheep’s clothing who thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of the international community,” Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly.
Iranian President Hasan Rouhani had downplayed the country’s nuclear aspirations in a speech last week to the U.N. that gained a lot of positive response from world leaders including a personal phone call from U.S. President Barack Obama.
“I wish I could believe Rouhani but I don’t because facts are stubborn things. Iran’s savage record flatly contradicts Rouhani’s soothing rhetoric,” Netanyahu said. “The last century taught us that when a radical regime with global ambitions gets awesome power its appetite for aggression knows no bounds. The world may have forgotten this lesson. The Jewish people have not.“
At least four rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday afternoon with one confirmed to strike near Nahariya.
No one was killed in the assault although several residents were treated by hospitals and clinics for “shock.” Continue reading →
Hamas held press conference Monday to condemn the peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis.
“We renew our rejection of these futile talks, and consider them purely a means for (Israel) to look good to the international community,” Hamas officials Mahmoud al-Zahar said. “We call on the Palestinian people to unite in confronting the crime that is the peace talks.” Continue reading →
Five Islamic terrorists in the midst of preparing a rocket attack on Israel were killed by an airstrike near the Egypt/Israeli border.
Egyptian military officials say they do not know who carried out the airstrike and are investigating the incident. However, sources inside the military are telling the BBC that the strike came from Israeli aircraft. Continue reading →
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to reporters after an initial meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators and said that two sides will try to reach a “final status” agreement over the next nine months.
Kerry said that formal negotiations between the two sides would begin in the next two weeks either in Israel or the Palestinian territories. He also said that “all issues” would be up for discussion. Continue reading →
The possibility of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks seems less likely after the Facebook page of the Palestinian president’s political party praised a terrorist convicted of killing 61. Continue reading →
A group of archeologists in Israel have made a controversial claim that they have discovered a palace belonging to King David.
A huge fortified complex at Khirbet Qeiyada, if actually a palace of King David, would be the first palace of his to be unearthed. Continue reading →
