The Israeli military on Monday reopened a key border crossing with the Gaza Strip after destroying a tunnel built under it by the Hamas terrorist group.
The tunnel, which was destroyed in a combined airstrike and ground operation, had run from under the Egypt-Gaza border to under the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel.
Kerem Shalom is the only crossing through which goods enter the coastal enclave. Some 1,500 trucks, delivering an average 15 million tons of goods, travel through it daily.
The IDF stressed that the decision to close the crossing was a precautionary measure taken while the operation to destroy the tunnel, which compromised both the crossing and gas and fuel pipelines, was underway.
Since the 2014 military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the IDF has prioritized its efforts to neutralize the threat from Hamas' grid of terror tunnels.
This was the third terror tunnel the IDF has destroyed in recent months. An Islamic Jihad tunnel was blown up on Oct. 30, and a Hamas tunnel was leveled on Dec. 9.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday that the Israeli military has developed cutting-edge countertunnel technology that will enable it to destroy all terror tunnels by the end of 2018.
"By the end of 2018, we will have eliminated all of Hamas' attack tunnels. We may even manage to do so sooner, but the task is to destroy them all by the end of the year," Lieberman said.
Truck drivers passing through the crossing Tuesday expressed concern for their safety.
"We're used to working under rocket fire, but the fact that they [the IDF] found a tunnel under it is scary. But what choice do we have? We have to work," Hassan al-Qadiri told Israel Hayom.
Driver Rammi Maktubi slammed Hamas for compromising the viral crossing.
"They [Hamas] come at us from above and below, from every direction. We deliver goods [into Gaza] and they want to kill us? Why? What have we ever done to them?" he said.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit issued a statement saying, "The Hamas terrorist organization is responsible for all that transpires in the Gaza Strip and it is responsible for the welfare of its citizens. Any attempt to harm Israel's citizens or undermine Israel sovereignty will be met with force and determination. The IDF will continue to act to thwart terrorist organizations' efforts to carry out attack wherever it is necessary."
