The Israel Defense Forces destroyed a terror tunnel dug under the Kerem Shalom crossing with the Gaza Strip that also ran under the Egypt-Gaza border, the military confirmed Sunday.
A military statement said Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck terrorist infrastructure in southern Rafah late Saturday night. A later statement said the target was a cross-border tunnel dug by Hamas that could have been used to smuggle terrorists and weapons from Egypt to Gaza and to stage terrorist attacks against Israel.
"We know this was a terror tunnel because it ran underneath strategic facilities," military spokesman Colonel Jonathan Conricus said, referring to gas and fuel pipelines. "It could also have served to transfer terrorists from the Gaza Strip into Egypt in order to attack Israeli targets from Egypt."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the strike as he was departing on a state visit to India, early Sunday morning.
"The IDF attacked major terrorist infrastructure belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. There are those who say the IDF strikes sand dunes – that is not true. We respond to attacks on Israel. We do that by systematically attacking infrastructure directed against us. Hamas must understand that we will not allow these attacks to continue and that we will respond with even greater force," he said.
As a result of the operation, the Kerem Shalom crossing, through which goods enter Gaza daily, was temporarily closed.
"Yesterday we attacked the tunnel opening on the Palestinian side of Rafah. Large forces then operated at the Kerem Shalom crossing to destroy the tunnel opening there, which is why the crossing has been closed," IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis explained.
"This was a terrorist tunnel that started in Rafah, about 900 meters [3,000 feet] from the fence, and stretched through into Israeli territory running under the Kerem Shalom crossing and the gas and diesel pipeline that supply the Gaza Strip. Destroying this tunnel was a necessary defensive action by the IDF, as it ran 180 meters [590 feet] into Israel. This was a significant tunnel," he said.
The IDF rejected Hamas' claim that the underground passageway was used to smuggle goods into the coastal enclave, saying it could have clearly been used for purpose of terrorism.
"Overnight, Hamas attempted to claim that this was a smuggling tunnel. This is not the case. This tunnel ran under strategic energy facilities and we know it ran into Egypt, so we know it could have been used for a host of scenarios, including the smuggling of weapons and terrorists," he said.
Kerem Shalom is the only crossing through which goods enter the strip. Some 1,500 trucks, delivering an average 15 million tons of goods, travel through it daily.
"This is the only goods' crossing at Gaza's disposal and it's absurd that Hamas uses it for terrorism. It shows just how concerned Hamas is with the welfare of the residents [in Gaza]," Manelis said.
The military stressed that the decision to close the crossing pending a security situation assessment was a precautionary measure.
Israel goes to great lengths to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing remains operational at all times, as it is the main goods' pipeline to Gaza. The crossing has been closed only in a handful of cases in the past, and always over unusual security circumstances.
Advanced countertunnel technology
This was the third terror tunnel the IDF has destroyed in recent months. The first was an Islamic Jihad tunnel, detonated on Oct. 30, and the second was a Hamas tunnel, leveled on Dec. 9.
Manelis declined to detail exactly how the third tunnel was detected, saying only that the area had been under military surveillance for a while.
"The State of Israel today has the most advanced countertunnel capabilities in the world. It's not a coincidence that we have detected and destroyed three tunnels in that many months," he said.
He stressed that the IDF "strives to generate long-term deterrence while it destroys the tunnels and builds the [underground tunnel] barrier. We are doing everything we can to avoid a [security] escalation in the region, but our security and the defense efforts are paramount. This was a tunnel that violated Israeli sovereignty and Hamas understands that it has been caught in a complex situation."
The IDF is gearing for a potential security escalation over the latest blow dealt to Hamas' tunnel-digging enterprise.
"The test is not that of a single rocket [fired from Gaza], but maintaining calm and generating deterrence over time," Manelis explained. "We want to implement the plan to thwart the tunnel [threat] and avoid an escalation on the ground, but we are prepared for a variety of scenarios."
He stressed that there was no doubt that the tunnel targeted Saturday was an offensive Hamas passageway.
"This is the first tunnel to have these characteristics, running under the Israel-Gaza-Egypt borders. The tunnel runs under the diesel pipeline [all the way] to the main antenna at Kerem Shalom crossing. I've never seen such a tunnel before. This is not the kind of tunnel dug for transporting food," he said.
