16 feb 2016
Father Manuel Musallam, member of the Islamic Christian Authority for Patronizing Jerusalem and Holy Places, has urged the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip to continue building tunnels, describing it as a national duty.
"You, 'the resistance fighter,' cannot rest or sleep in the bed as long as there are all these tragedies in Palestine, so dig the trench and move forward,"
Father Musallam said in an video recorded interview conducted by the Palestinian Information Center (PIC). The PIC has released part of the exclusive interview it conducted with Father Musallam, who spoke directly to the heroes of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza as he described them.
The interview will be fully available in Arabic on the website later.
"You, 'the resistance fighter,' cannot rest or sleep in the bed as long as there are all these tragedies in Palestine, so dig the trench and move forward,"
Father Musallam said in an video recorded interview conducted by the Palestinian Information Center (PIC). The PIC has released part of the exclusive interview it conducted with Father Musallam, who spoke directly to the heroes of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza as he described them.
The interview will be fully available in Arabic on the website later.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday morning opened machinegun fire at Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip and carried out diggings in a border area.
According to Quds Press, Israeli border soldiers opened fire from their military posts and vehicles at Palestinian farmers and homes to the east of Khuza'a town in Khan Younis, south of Gaza.
The farmers escaped unhurt from their fields, Quds Press noted. During the shooting, Israeli military bulldozers embarked on carrying out diggings near the border fence in search for tunnels.
The Israeli army has been committing ceasefire violations in Gaza almost every day since it accepted an Egyptian-brokered truce agreement on August 26, 2014.
According to Quds Press, Israeli border soldiers opened fire from their military posts and vehicles at Palestinian farmers and homes to the east of Khuza'a town in Khan Younis, south of Gaza.
The farmers escaped unhurt from their fields, Quds Press noted. During the shooting, Israeli military bulldozers embarked on carrying out diggings near the border fence in search for tunnels.
The Israeli army has been committing ceasefire violations in Gaza almost every day since it accepted an Egyptian-brokered truce agreement on August 26, 2014.
12 feb 2016
Egyptian military forces on Thursday destroyed an underground concrete tunnel passing from the northern Sinai Peninsula into the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that soldiers discovered and destroyed the 1.2-meter-wide tunnel spanning 35 meters and lying nine meters below ground.
The tunnel was equipped with two power cables, two lighting cables, and two telephone lines, according to the statement.
The ministry claimed the tunnel had been used to smuggle people, weapons, and ammunition into Gaza.
Palestinians in Gaza have relied on underground smuggling tunnels across the Egyptian border since 2007 when Israel imposed a military blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control there.
The tunnels have since provided a vital lifeline for the besieged territory's more than 1.8 million residents.
However, Egypt has destroyed and flooded hundreds of the tunnels as part of an ongoing security campaign in the northern Sinai Peninsula against anti-regime militants launching attacks on Egyptian police and military personnel.
Egypt accuses Hamas of supporting the insurgents, allegations Hamas strongly denies.
Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israeli media earlier this week that a number of tunnels had been flooded at Israel's request, adding that relations between Egypt and Israel were "better than ever."
Human Rights Watch last year slammed Egypt's military for its campaign against the tunnels, during which the group said some 3,200 families had been evicted from their homes near the border and hundreds of acres of farmland destroyed.
The group said Egypt had failed to provide adequate proof that insurgents were receiving support from Gaza.
The UN reported Thursday that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that soldiers discovered and destroyed the 1.2-meter-wide tunnel spanning 35 meters and lying nine meters below ground.
The tunnel was equipped with two power cables, two lighting cables, and two telephone lines, according to the statement.
The ministry claimed the tunnel had been used to smuggle people, weapons, and ammunition into Gaza.
Palestinians in Gaza have relied on underground smuggling tunnels across the Egyptian border since 2007 when Israel imposed a military blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control there.
The tunnels have since provided a vital lifeline for the besieged territory's more than 1.8 million residents.
However, Egypt has destroyed and flooded hundreds of the tunnels as part of an ongoing security campaign in the northern Sinai Peninsula against anti-regime militants launching attacks on Egyptian police and military personnel.
Egypt accuses Hamas of supporting the insurgents, allegations Hamas strongly denies.
Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israeli media earlier this week that a number of tunnels had been flooded at Israel's request, adding that relations between Egypt and Israel were "better than ever."
Human Rights Watch last year slammed Egypt's military for its campaign against the tunnels, during which the group said some 3,200 families had been evicted from their homes near the border and hundreds of acres of farmland destroyed.
The group said Egypt had failed to provide adequate proof that insurgents were receiving support from Gaza.
The UN reported Thursday that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
9 feb 2016
Marwan Barham Marouf 27
A Hamas fighter was killed on Tuesday, when a tunnel collapsed in the southern Gaza Strip, Hamas' military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, relayed in a statement.
Al Qassam identified the fighter as 27-year-old Marwan Barham Marouf, from Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
During the past two weeks, the group has reported at least ten other deaths in three separate tunnel collapses.
Gaza's tunnel networks, which are largely used for smuggling in the coastal enclave's south and military purposes in the north, are notoriously dangerous.
The Institute for Palestine Studies reported in 2012 that Hamas authorities had counted 160 deaths inside the tunnels since the Israeli blockade began in 2007, and in August 2014, al-Jazeera reported that figure to be as high as 400.
While the tunnels are used by Hamas as a source of tax revenue and inflow of weapons, they also supply highly-demanded necessities for Gaza's 1.8 million residents under the blockade, including food, medicine, as well as infrastructure materials like concrete and fuel.
Hamas claims to have rebuilt many of the tunnels that were destroyed during 2014's devastating war with Israel. Last week, , according to Ma'an, the Israeli authorities threatened to seal crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip, due to recent Hamas activity.
A Hamas fighter was killed on Tuesday, when a tunnel collapsed in the southern Gaza Strip, Hamas' military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, relayed in a statement.
Al Qassam identified the fighter as 27-year-old Marwan Barham Marouf, from Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
During the past two weeks, the group has reported at least ten other deaths in three separate tunnel collapses.
Gaza's tunnel networks, which are largely used for smuggling in the coastal enclave's south and military purposes in the north, are notoriously dangerous.
The Institute for Palestine Studies reported in 2012 that Hamas authorities had counted 160 deaths inside the tunnels since the Israeli blockade began in 2007, and in August 2014, al-Jazeera reported that figure to be as high as 400.
While the tunnels are used by Hamas as a source of tax revenue and inflow of weapons, they also supply highly-demanded necessities for Gaza's 1.8 million residents under the blockade, including food, medicine, as well as infrastructure materials like concrete and fuel.
Hamas claims to have rebuilt many of the tunnels that were destroyed during 2014's devastating war with Israel. Last week, , according to Ma'an, the Israeli authorities threatened to seal crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip, due to recent Hamas activity.
8 feb 2016
Musa Jaber Al-Madi 24
Medical sources in the Gaza Strip have reported that one Palestinian was killed, on Monday at dawn, when a tunnel, used for smuggling goods into the besieged coastal region, collapsed on him.
The tunnel is on the border with Egypt, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The slain Palestinian worker is 24 years of age from Khirbit al-‘Adas village, north of Rafah. He was buried under the rubble while he was conducting maintenance work.
It is worth mentioning that the Egyptian army is still conducting its campaign against all siege-busting tunnels on its side of the border.
On Tuesday at night, February 2, two Hamas members were killed in a tunnel collapse incident in southern Gaza, just a week after seven fighters were killed, in a similar accident, in northern Gaza.
While the tunnels are used by Hamas as a source of tax revenue and inflow of weapons, they also supply highly-demanded necessities for Gaza's 1.8 million residents under the blockade, including food, medicine, as well as infrastructure materials like concrete and fuel.
Many Palestinians, not affiliated with any group, work in the tunnels to provide for their families, especially amidst the high levels of unemployment and poverty.
Palestinian dies in a lifeline tunnel collapse on Egyptian borders
A Palestinian young man died Monday morning after a lifeline tunnel he was trying to restore collapsed near the besieged Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the victim was identified as 24-year-old Mousa Jaber al-Ma’adi from the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.
Al-Ma’adi’s death brings the number of Palestinians killed in three separate tunnel collapses over the past two weeks to ten after the Egyptian army forces have launched a campaign to destroy the tunnels.
Egypt had set up a buffer zone on its border with Gaza and destroyed hundreds of lifeline tunnels over the past two years. In September 2015, Egypt started to build huge pipelines along the Gaza border and pumped sea water into the last remaining tunnels.
The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli siege since 2006, denying about 1.8 million people in Gaza their basic human needs. The Israeli tight siege has forced Gaza residents to use the tunnels to supply themselves with their highly-demanded necessities, including food, medicine, as well as infrastructure materials like concrete and fuel.
Medical sources in the Gaza Strip have reported that one Palestinian was killed, on Monday at dawn, when a tunnel, used for smuggling goods into the besieged coastal region, collapsed on him.
The tunnel is on the border with Egypt, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The slain Palestinian worker is 24 years of age from Khirbit al-‘Adas village, north of Rafah. He was buried under the rubble while he was conducting maintenance work.
It is worth mentioning that the Egyptian army is still conducting its campaign against all siege-busting tunnels on its side of the border.
On Tuesday at night, February 2, two Hamas members were killed in a tunnel collapse incident in southern Gaza, just a week after seven fighters were killed, in a similar accident, in northern Gaza.
While the tunnels are used by Hamas as a source of tax revenue and inflow of weapons, they also supply highly-demanded necessities for Gaza's 1.8 million residents under the blockade, including food, medicine, as well as infrastructure materials like concrete and fuel.
Many Palestinians, not affiliated with any group, work in the tunnels to provide for their families, especially amidst the high levels of unemployment and poverty.
Palestinian dies in a lifeline tunnel collapse on Egyptian borders
A Palestinian young man died Monday morning after a lifeline tunnel he was trying to restore collapsed near the besieged Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the victim was identified as 24-year-old Mousa Jaber al-Ma’adi from the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.
Al-Ma’adi’s death brings the number of Palestinians killed in three separate tunnel collapses over the past two weeks to ten after the Egyptian army forces have launched a campaign to destroy the tunnels.
Egypt had set up a buffer zone on its border with Gaza and destroyed hundreds of lifeline tunnels over the past two years. In September 2015, Egypt started to build huge pipelines along the Gaza border and pumped sea water into the last remaining tunnels.
The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli siege since 2006, denying about 1.8 million people in Gaza their basic human needs. The Israeli tight siege has forced Gaza residents to use the tunnels to supply themselves with their highly-demanded necessities, including food, medicine, as well as infrastructure materials like concrete and fuel.
7 feb 2016
Israel’s energy minister Yuval Steinitz called for following the Egyptian model of flooding Gaza border in order to find out and destroy resistance tunnels.
Minister Steinitz said Saturday during an event in the southern city of Beersheba that the Egyptian military had flooded several tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip’s southern border at Israel’s request.
The energy minister said that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi had ordered the destruction of numerous tunnels built by Hamas at Israel’s request.
"Security coordination between Israel and Egypt is better than ever. The best means to end the threat of Hamas Gaza tunnels is flooding the border with water”, Steinitz said.
Minister Steinitz said Saturday during an event in the southern city of Beersheba that the Egyptian military had flooded several tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip’s southern border at Israel’s request.
The energy minister said that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi had ordered the destruction of numerous tunnels built by Hamas at Israel’s request.
"Security coordination between Israel and Egypt is better than ever. The best means to end the threat of Hamas Gaza tunnels is flooding the border with water”, Steinitz said.
3 feb 2016
Ahmad Heidar al-Zahar 23
Two fighters of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, died in a tunnel collapse in the blockaded Gaza Strip, Hamas reported on early Wednesday morning.
A statement by Hamas said two resistance fighters passed away after a tunnel where they digging in preparation for any possible future battle with the Israeli occupation forces collapsed.
Spokesman for the Gaza-based Health Ministry, Ashraf al-Qudra, said on Tuesday evening that two Palestinians died in an accident in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Two fighters of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, died in a tunnel collapse in the blockaded Gaza Strip, Hamas reported on early Wednesday morning.
A statement by Hamas said two resistance fighters passed away after a tunnel where they digging in preparation for any possible future battle with the Israeli occupation forces collapsed.
Spokesman for the Gaza-based Health Ministry, Ashraf al-Qudra, said on Tuesday evening that two Palestinians died in an accident in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Fuad Ashour Abu Ateiwi 39
Al-Qudra identified the two casualties as 23-year-old Ahmad Heidar al-Zahar and 39-year-old Fuad Ashour Abu Ateiwi. Seven resistance fighters died last week in a similar accident, after a tunnel they were reconstructing fell down.
Over 250,000 Palestinians took part in the casualties’ funeral procession, in what observers dubbed a sign of Palestinians’ support for armed resistance against the Israeli occupation.
Al-Qudra identified the two casualties as 23-year-old Ahmad Heidar al-Zahar and 39-year-old Fuad Ashour Abu Ateiwi. Seven resistance fighters died last week in a similar accident, after a tunnel they were reconstructing fell down.
Over 250,000 Palestinians took part in the casualties’ funeral procession, in what observers dubbed a sign of Palestinians’ support for armed resistance against the Israeli occupation.
1 feb 2016
Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, condemned the statements of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in which he said that he was shocked by Hamas leaders admitting the continuation of digging tunnels in Gaza.
In a statement on Sunday, Hamas said that Ki-moon’s statements run contrary to the international law and are bias to Israel.
The Movement said: "We refuse those statements on the tunnels and affirm that they are dug for defense purposes in the Strip”.
Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday that he was shocked by Hamas leaders’ latest statements on the construction of tunnels in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement on Sunday, Hamas said that Ki-moon’s statements run contrary to the international law and are bias to Israel.
The Movement said: "We refuse those statements on the tunnels and affirm that they are dug for defense purposes in the Strip”.
Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday that he was shocked by Hamas leaders’ latest statements on the construction of tunnels in the Gaza Strip.
29 jan 2016
Tens of thousands of Palestinians marched in Gaza on Friday afternoon in the funeral procession of the seven Qassam Brigades fighters, who died in a collapse of a tunnel they were fixing in a border area.
Groups of resistance fighters gathered near the family homes of the martyrs before taking them to the Omari Mosque where Ismail Haneyya, deputy political bureau chairman of Hamas, delivered the Friday Khutba (sermon) then recited the final prayers for them.
They were then taken in a massive funeral to be laid to rest.
Observers at the scene estimated the number of those taking part in the procession to be at around quarter of a million. Civil defense crews had exerted big efforts until they could retrieve the bodies from the collapsed tunnel on Thursday night. The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, had mourned the death of the seven members of its elite force after the tunnel they were maintaining collapsed over their heads due to bad weather conditions.
Groups of resistance fighters gathered near the family homes of the martyrs before taking them to the Omari Mosque where Ismail Haneyya, deputy political bureau chairman of Hamas, delivered the Friday Khutba (sermon) then recited the final prayers for them.
They were then taken in a massive funeral to be laid to rest.
Observers at the scene estimated the number of those taking part in the procession to be at around quarter of a million. Civil defense crews had exerted big efforts until they could retrieve the bodies from the collapsed tunnel on Thursday night. The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, had mourned the death of the seven members of its elite force after the tunnel they were maintaining collapsed over their heads due to bad weather conditions.
Deputy head of Hamas's political bureau Ismail Haneyya has said that al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas has built tunnels to defend Gaza and use them as starting points for the liberation of all of Palestine.
Haneyya made his remarks during his Friday Khutba (sermon) at al-Omari Mosque, where tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens participated in the funeral prayer held for the seven fighters of al-Qassam Brigades, who died a couple of days ago inside a border tunnel.
Haneyya stated that Gaza has made great victories and achievements despite its modest capabilities, describing it as "unbreakable."
"Gaza, today, is bidding farewell to the martyrs of preparation and groundwork, who worked underground and painted the path to liberation," the Hamas official said. He stressed that the truce with the Israeli occupation was never for relaxation but rather for getting prepared and possessing means of strength to confront the Israeli occupation forces in any coming battle.
Haneyya made his remarks during his Friday Khutba (sermon) at al-Omari Mosque, where tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens participated in the funeral prayer held for the seven fighters of al-Qassam Brigades, who died a couple of days ago inside a border tunnel.
Haneyya stated that Gaza has made great victories and achievements despite its modest capabilities, describing it as "unbreakable."
"Gaza, today, is bidding farewell to the martyrs of preparation and groundwork, who worked underground and painted the path to liberation," the Hamas official said. He stressed that the truce with the Israeli occupation was never for relaxation but rather for getting prepared and possessing means of strength to confront the Israeli occupation forces in any coming battle.
28 jan 2016
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Thabet al-Rifi
Ghazwan al-Shubaki Izz al-Din Qassem Wassim Hassouneh Mahmoud Basal Nidal Odeh Jaafar Hamadeh Hamas’ military wing announced on social media on Thursday that seven of its fighters were killed when a tunnel collapsed in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. "Al-Qassam Brigades mourn the death of seven Qassam members who were (killed) during |
their work inside resistance tunnels in Gaza," the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades posted on their Twitter account.
The group identified those who died in the tunnel as Thabet al-Rifi, Ghazwan al-Shubaki, Izz al-Din Qassem, Wassim Hassouneh, Mahmoud Basal, Nidal Odeh, and Jaafar Hamadeh.
Hamas security sources had previously said in a statement that more than 10 fighters were in a tunnel when it collapsed due to heavy rain on Tuesday.
The Qassam Brigades said the fighters had been working on rebuilding the tunnel at the time of the accident.
The fate of the remaining fighters had yet to be specified.
Earlier in January, an al-Qassam member was killed by an electric shock in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.
Gaza's tunnel networks are notoriously dangerous. The Institute for Palestine Studies reported in 2012 that Hamas authorities had counted 160 deaths inside the tunnels since the Israeli blockade began in 2007, and in August 2014, al-Jazeera reported that figure to be as high as 400.
While the tunnels are used by Hamas as a source of tax revenue and inflow of weapons, they also supply highly-demanded necessities for Gaza's 1.8 million residents under the blockade, including food, medicine, as well as infrastructure materials like concrete and fuel.
The movement has reportedly expanded the tunnel network -- used mainly for military purposes in the northern Gaza Strip and smuggling in the south -- since Israel’s 2014 offensive on the besieged enclave left much of it destroyed.
Senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh Israel last month said: “Resistance is now stronger than it was during the last war,” warning that Israeli forces would face a “heavy toll” if they carried out another war, without specifying efforts in tunnel expansion.
Reported continuation of tunnel rehabilitation comes as the head coordinator of Israeli government activity in the occupied Palestinian territory threatened earlier this week to seal crossings between Israel and the besieged Gaza Strip due to recent activity by Hamas.
A spokesperson for COGAT told Ma’an that COGAT head Yoav Mordechai the crossings could be closed on the grounds that the Hamas movement that governs the strip is recruiting people exiting Gaza for “terrorism purposes.”
“It seems that Hamas is preparing for another military offensive and has no interest in serving the interests of the population in the Strip. This situation will eventually cause the closing of the crossings and the cessation of exits from Gaza," the spokesperson quoted Mordechai as saying.
The official’s remarks came as the movement has remained largely absent from a wave of unrest that spread across the occupied Palestinian territory in October and continued into January, while residents of the Gaza Strip have yet to recover from Israel's 2014 offensive, the third in just six years.
Al-Qassam Brigades mourns seven of its fighters
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has mourned seven of its elite fighters, who died on Wednesday night when the tunnel they were in collapsed.
The martyrs are Thabet al-Rifi, Jafar Hamada, Wasim Hassuna, Nidal Odeh, Mahmoud Basel, Ghazwan Shubaki and Izzuddin Qasem, according to a press release by the Brigades on Thursday.
The Brigades stated that its fighters died as they were working on making repairs to an old tunnel, which had been used to carry out operations against the Israeli occupation army during the 2014 war in Gaza.
The Brigades noted that four other fighters, who were in the same tunnel, survived the incident, which happened as a result of the bad weather conditions.
Al-Qassam: We lost contact with an elite group in a tunnel
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has announced that it has lost contact with an elite unit of its fighters inside a tunnel after its collapse in the Gaza Strip.
In a brief press release, the Brigades stated that the incident happened on Wednesday night as a result of the bad weather conditions.
A rescue mission has been launched to find and save the fighters, and there is hope they are still alive, according to the Brigades.
The group identified those who died in the tunnel as Thabet al-Rifi, Ghazwan al-Shubaki, Izz al-Din Qassem, Wassim Hassouneh, Mahmoud Basal, Nidal Odeh, and Jaafar Hamadeh.
Hamas security sources had previously said in a statement that more than 10 fighters were in a tunnel when it collapsed due to heavy rain on Tuesday.
The Qassam Brigades said the fighters had been working on rebuilding the tunnel at the time of the accident.
The fate of the remaining fighters had yet to be specified.
Earlier in January, an al-Qassam member was killed by an electric shock in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.
Gaza's tunnel networks are notoriously dangerous. The Institute for Palestine Studies reported in 2012 that Hamas authorities had counted 160 deaths inside the tunnels since the Israeli blockade began in 2007, and in August 2014, al-Jazeera reported that figure to be as high as 400.
While the tunnels are used by Hamas as a source of tax revenue and inflow of weapons, they also supply highly-demanded necessities for Gaza's 1.8 million residents under the blockade, including food, medicine, as well as infrastructure materials like concrete and fuel.
The movement has reportedly expanded the tunnel network -- used mainly for military purposes in the northern Gaza Strip and smuggling in the south -- since Israel’s 2014 offensive on the besieged enclave left much of it destroyed.
Senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh Israel last month said: “Resistance is now stronger than it was during the last war,” warning that Israeli forces would face a “heavy toll” if they carried out another war, without specifying efforts in tunnel expansion.
Reported continuation of tunnel rehabilitation comes as the head coordinator of Israeli government activity in the occupied Palestinian territory threatened earlier this week to seal crossings between Israel and the besieged Gaza Strip due to recent activity by Hamas.
A spokesperson for COGAT told Ma’an that COGAT head Yoav Mordechai the crossings could be closed on the grounds that the Hamas movement that governs the strip is recruiting people exiting Gaza for “terrorism purposes.”
“It seems that Hamas is preparing for another military offensive and has no interest in serving the interests of the population in the Strip. This situation will eventually cause the closing of the crossings and the cessation of exits from Gaza," the spokesperson quoted Mordechai as saying.
The official’s remarks came as the movement has remained largely absent from a wave of unrest that spread across the occupied Palestinian territory in October and continued into January, while residents of the Gaza Strip have yet to recover from Israel's 2014 offensive, the third in just six years.
Al-Qassam Brigades mourns seven of its fighters
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has mourned seven of its elite fighters, who died on Wednesday night when the tunnel they were in collapsed.
The martyrs are Thabet al-Rifi, Jafar Hamada, Wasim Hassuna, Nidal Odeh, Mahmoud Basel, Ghazwan Shubaki and Izzuddin Qasem, according to a press release by the Brigades on Thursday.
The Brigades stated that its fighters died as they were working on making repairs to an old tunnel, which had been used to carry out operations against the Israeli occupation army during the 2014 war in Gaza.
The Brigades noted that four other fighters, who were in the same tunnel, survived the incident, which happened as a result of the bad weather conditions.
Al-Qassam: We lost contact with an elite group in a tunnel
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has announced that it has lost contact with an elite unit of its fighters inside a tunnel after its collapse in the Gaza Strip.
In a brief press release, the Brigades stated that the incident happened on Wednesday night as a result of the bad weather conditions.
A rescue mission has been launched to find and save the fighters, and there is hope they are still alive, according to the Brigades.
24 jan 2016
Ahmad Ashour al-Najjar 26
A Hamas-affiliated militant died on Saturday, after a tunnel collapsed west of the city of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, medical and local sources in Gaza said.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra identified the victim as Ahmad Ashour al-Najjar, 26. Locals said that the tunnel was used for “resistance,” and Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed in a statement that al-Najjar was a member of the group.
Another member of the group, 29-year-old Abdul-Rahman al-Mobasher, was killed last month in a tunnel collapse in the same area.
Fighter Bassem Ayyoub al-Akhras, 22, recently died of electric shock while working in a tunnel.
A number of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the vast tunnel networks that lie below the besieged enclave, which are largely used for smuggling in the coastal enclave's south and military purposes in the north. The Hamas movement which governs the strip is reportedly reconstructing a vast tunnel network intended to be used for carrying out attacks on Israeli military targets and civilians, swathes of which were destroyed during Israel's brutal offensive on Gaza in 2014.
While the tunnels are used by Hamas as a source of tax revenue and inflow of weapons from the south, they also supply highly-demanded necessities for Gazans including food, medicine, and much-needed infrastructure materials.
The Institute for Palestine Studies reported in 2012 that Hamas authorities had counted 160 deaths inside the tunnels since the Israeli blockade began in 2007, and in August of 2014, al-Jazeera reported that figure to be as high as 400.
A Hamas-affiliated militant died on Saturday, after a tunnel collapsed west of the city of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, medical and local sources in Gaza said.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra identified the victim as Ahmad Ashour al-Najjar, 26. Locals said that the tunnel was used for “resistance,” and Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed in a statement that al-Najjar was a member of the group.
Another member of the group, 29-year-old Abdul-Rahman al-Mobasher, was killed last month in a tunnel collapse in the same area.
Fighter Bassem Ayyoub al-Akhras, 22, recently died of electric shock while working in a tunnel.
A number of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the vast tunnel networks that lie below the besieged enclave, which are largely used for smuggling in the coastal enclave's south and military purposes in the north. The Hamas movement which governs the strip is reportedly reconstructing a vast tunnel network intended to be used for carrying out attacks on Israeli military targets and civilians, swathes of which were destroyed during Israel's brutal offensive on Gaza in 2014.
While the tunnels are used by Hamas as a source of tax revenue and inflow of weapons from the south, they also supply highly-demanded necessities for Gazans including food, medicine, and much-needed infrastructure materials.
The Institute for Palestine Studies reported in 2012 that Hamas authorities had counted 160 deaths inside the tunnels since the Israeli blockade began in 2007, and in August of 2014, al-Jazeera reported that figure to be as high as 400.
15 jan 2016
Bassem Ayyoub al-Akhras 22
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has reported that one of its fighters died, on Friday morning, in an accident while working in a border tunnel, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The Brigades said the fighter, Bassem Ayyoub al-Akhras, 22, died of electric shock while working in a tunnel.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qedra, spokesperson of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, said al-Akhras is from the Shaboura neighborhood, in Rafah.
On Sunday, December 27, 2015, a Qassam fighter, identified as Abdul-Rahman al-Mobasher, died of wounds, suffered a few days earlier, in a tunnel-collapse accident.
Dozens of fighters, and tunnel workers, have been killed in various accidents in siege-busting tunnels, across the border between Gaza and Egypt, largely after the tunnels collapsed on them, and in other cases after Israel bombarded the tunnels.
Many Palestinians, not affiliated with any armed group, resort to working in tunnels to provide for their families due to the dire conditions in the impoverished coastal region.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has reported that one of its fighters died, on Friday morning, in an accident while working in a border tunnel, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The Brigades said the fighter, Bassem Ayyoub al-Akhras, 22, died of electric shock while working in a tunnel.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qedra, spokesperson of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, said al-Akhras is from the Shaboura neighborhood, in Rafah.
On Sunday, December 27, 2015, a Qassam fighter, identified as Abdul-Rahman al-Mobasher, died of wounds, suffered a few days earlier, in a tunnel-collapse accident.
Dozens of fighters, and tunnel workers, have been killed in various accidents in siege-busting tunnels, across the border between Gaza and Egypt, largely after the tunnels collapsed on them, and in other cases after Israel bombarded the tunnels.
Many Palestinians, not affiliated with any armed group, resort to working in tunnels to provide for their families due to the dire conditions in the impoverished coastal region.
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