19 apr 2016
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas Movement, said that the Israeli Occupation Authorities will not dare to expose all details and facts on the resistance tunnel which was discovered near Gaza border on Monday.
Al-Qassam admitted, in its statement on Monday, its responsibility for digging the tunnel to the east of Rafah city and undertook to expose all details hidden by the Israeli forces at the convenient time.
Israeli sources declared Monday morning the discovery and destruction of a resistance tunnel in the vicinity of the settlements in Gaza two weeks ago. The IOA alleged that the tunnel aims at facilitating the entry of dozens of al-Qassam’s elite fighters to carry out attacks inside Israel.
The tunnel discovered was dug deeply into 30 meters under the ground. No weapons or fighting equipment were found which made Israelis believe that it was not prepared for immediate usage.
They opined that it would be used for conducting a quality future attack and considered it a new proof for the development of Palestinian resistance methods.
Al-Qassam admitted, in its statement on Monday, its responsibility for digging the tunnel to the east of Rafah city and undertook to expose all details hidden by the Israeli forces at the convenient time.
Israeli sources declared Monday morning the discovery and destruction of a resistance tunnel in the vicinity of the settlements in Gaza two weeks ago. The IOA alleged that the tunnel aims at facilitating the entry of dozens of al-Qassam’s elite fighters to carry out attacks inside Israel.
The tunnel discovered was dug deeply into 30 meters under the ground. No weapons or fighting equipment were found which made Israelis believe that it was not prepared for immediate usage.
They opined that it would be used for conducting a quality future attack and considered it a new proof for the development of Palestinian resistance methods.
18 apr 2016
General Eyal Zamir, Head of the IDF Southern Command
GOC Southern Command says IDF ready for any scenario; residents of the area say nothing has changed since the end of Operation Protective Edge.
Following the IDF discovery of an attack tunnel burrowing from Gaza into Israel, the GOC Southern Command, Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, warned Hamas on Monday that it will pay a heavy price if war breaks out again.
"Hamas is attempting to restore its military capabilities - capabilities which were hit hard during the last operation - and is also preparing for war. However, the organization is aware of the heavy price it will pay if war breaks out again," he told Ynet after the news of the tunnel broke.
"The IDF is deployed to the area, trained for any scenario, and we will work according to situational reports to defend the residents of the south," the general vowed.
"Our forces are working continuously and tirelessly with a variety of the most advanced equipment and techniques, which I can't elaborate on at this time, to locate any additional tunnels if there are any," Zamir said.
Meanwhile, Hamas claimed that the tunnel found was "nothing more than a drop in the bucket of what the resistance has prepared to defend the people and liberate our holy sites, land, and prisoners."
An additional high ranking IDF officer said "this is a violation of Israeli sovereignty. Although the tunnel was neutralized, it will still be dealt with."
He also warned that "the IDF has enough firepower for other situations."
'This is what we're living with every day'
The GOC Southern Command claimed that "after Operation Protective Edge, the residents of the Gaza border area have experienced their quietest period in the past decade," but residents say much more remains to be done in order to improve their sense of security in their homes.
Adi Hamawi of Kibbutz Nirim said that the residents of the area knew about the tunnels "for a while now. We also know about other tunnels in the area, so we aren't very surprised. The Israeli public was a little bit more surprised because they learned something new, but here, nothing has really changed since Protective Edge - neither our sense of security nor our actual security. The tunnels were being dug during and even after the last war. This only shows what we've been living with every day."
Despite this, Hamawi says that "we don't live in fear that one day people will emerge out of the tunnel. We can't live in fear every day; we have to continue and enjoy the good this area of the country brings. However, it's important that the government put the problems in the Gaza border area on the table, deal with it once and for all and not to leave the situation as it is."
"This is what happened after Pillar of Defense and Protective Edge," he continued. "Nothing has changed on the ground."
Gadi Yarkoni, head of the Eshkol Regional Council where the tunnel opening was found, thanked the IDF and the Israeli security forces for their "intensive efforts in destroying these terror tunnels," adding that "The early finding of the tunnel is evidence of the many advanced techniques and groundbreaking technologies that the security services and the IDF are using."
With that in mind, he added, "I'm sorry to say that the tunnel threat isn't new to us, and we've gotten used to this threat since the end of Operation Protective Edge. We expect the IDF to continue to work with all of the means available to it to provide protection to the residents of the communities here."
GOC Southern Command says IDF ready for any scenario; residents of the area say nothing has changed since the end of Operation Protective Edge.
Following the IDF discovery of an attack tunnel burrowing from Gaza into Israel, the GOC Southern Command, Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, warned Hamas on Monday that it will pay a heavy price if war breaks out again.
"Hamas is attempting to restore its military capabilities - capabilities which were hit hard during the last operation - and is also preparing for war. However, the organization is aware of the heavy price it will pay if war breaks out again," he told Ynet after the news of the tunnel broke.
"The IDF is deployed to the area, trained for any scenario, and we will work according to situational reports to defend the residents of the south," the general vowed.
"Our forces are working continuously and tirelessly with a variety of the most advanced equipment and techniques, which I can't elaborate on at this time, to locate any additional tunnels if there are any," Zamir said.
Meanwhile, Hamas claimed that the tunnel found was "nothing more than a drop in the bucket of what the resistance has prepared to defend the people and liberate our holy sites, land, and prisoners."
An additional high ranking IDF officer said "this is a violation of Israeli sovereignty. Although the tunnel was neutralized, it will still be dealt with."
He also warned that "the IDF has enough firepower for other situations."
'This is what we're living with every day'
The GOC Southern Command claimed that "after Operation Protective Edge, the residents of the Gaza border area have experienced their quietest period in the past decade," but residents say much more remains to be done in order to improve their sense of security in their homes.
Adi Hamawi of Kibbutz Nirim said that the residents of the area knew about the tunnels "for a while now. We also know about other tunnels in the area, so we aren't very surprised. The Israeli public was a little bit more surprised because they learned something new, but here, nothing has really changed since Protective Edge - neither our sense of security nor our actual security. The tunnels were being dug during and even after the last war. This only shows what we've been living with every day."
Despite this, Hamawi says that "we don't live in fear that one day people will emerge out of the tunnel. We can't live in fear every day; we have to continue and enjoy the good this area of the country brings. However, it's important that the government put the problems in the Gaza border area on the table, deal with it once and for all and not to leave the situation as it is."
"This is what happened after Pillar of Defense and Protective Edge," he continued. "Nothing has changed on the ground."
Gadi Yarkoni, head of the Eshkol Regional Council where the tunnel opening was found, thanked the IDF and the Israeli security forces for their "intensive efforts in destroying these terror tunnels," adding that "The early finding of the tunnel is evidence of the many advanced techniques and groundbreaking technologies that the security services and the IDF are using."
With that in mind, he added, "I'm sorry to say that the tunnel threat isn't new to us, and we've gotten used to this threat since the end of Operation Protective Edge. We expect the IDF to continue to work with all of the means available to it to provide protection to the residents of the communities here."
Israeli forces have uncovered and destroyed a tunnel passing from the Gaza Strip into Israel -- the first to be found since Israel's devastating military offensive on the coastal enclave in 2014.
The Israeli army on Monday lifted a gag order on the discovery of the tunnel earlier this week. An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed to Ma'an the tunnel had been found and destroyed on both sides of the border.
Reaching 30 meters deep at certain points, the tunnel reportedly extended from the southeast of the Gaza Strip, crossing the border to where Israeli military bases and towns are located.
Israeli army spokesperson Peter Lerner said in a statement: "The ugly truth is that Hamas continues to invest millions of dollars to build tunnels of terror and death. The tunnel uncovered in Israel demonstrates once more Hamas' warped priorities and continued commitment and investment in tools of violence."
The Coordinator of Israeli Government's Activities in the Palestinian Territory Yoav Mordechai also confirmed the tunnel's discovery, saying: "Hamas continues to dig tunnels ignoring Gaza citizens' rights to live in dignity."
There have been reports in recent months that Hamas has expanded its tunnel network -- used mainly for military purposes in the northern Gaza Strip and smuggling in the south -- since Israel's 2014 offensive on Gaza left much of it destroyed.
Israeli officials have accused Hamas of "preparing" for another war with Israel and have threatened retaliatory measures against the Gaza Strip as a whole. However, despite Hamas' inflammatory rhetoric against Israel, the movement has not claimed responsibility for any military action against Israel since the 2014 war.
The movement has been pitched against a number of smaller armed groups inside the territory that have made a name for themselves as unafraid to challenge Hamas -- seeking to outbid them in the fight against Israel and the defense of Islam.
Israel began its 2014 offensive on Gaza with the declared aim of ending all rocket fire from the coastal enclave. However, as the conflict wore on, with no end in sight to the rocket fire, Israel sought in part to redefine its aims, with the destruction of' tunnels Israel Gaza given as one of its key targets.
According to Israeli army figures, Israeli forces destroyed 32 tunnels during the 50-day war, 14 of which crossed the border into Israel.
The Israeli army on Monday lifted a gag order on the discovery of the tunnel earlier this week. An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed to Ma'an the tunnel had been found and destroyed on both sides of the border.
Reaching 30 meters deep at certain points, the tunnel reportedly extended from the southeast of the Gaza Strip, crossing the border to where Israeli military bases and towns are located.
Israeli army spokesperson Peter Lerner said in a statement: "The ugly truth is that Hamas continues to invest millions of dollars to build tunnels of terror and death. The tunnel uncovered in Israel demonstrates once more Hamas' warped priorities and continued commitment and investment in tools of violence."
The Coordinator of Israeli Government's Activities in the Palestinian Territory Yoav Mordechai also confirmed the tunnel's discovery, saying: "Hamas continues to dig tunnels ignoring Gaza citizens' rights to live in dignity."
There have been reports in recent months that Hamas has expanded its tunnel network -- used mainly for military purposes in the northern Gaza Strip and smuggling in the south -- since Israel's 2014 offensive on Gaza left much of it destroyed.
Israeli officials have accused Hamas of "preparing" for another war with Israel and have threatened retaliatory measures against the Gaza Strip as a whole. However, despite Hamas' inflammatory rhetoric against Israel, the movement has not claimed responsibility for any military action against Israel since the 2014 war.
The movement has been pitched against a number of smaller armed groups inside the territory that have made a name for themselves as unafraid to challenge Hamas -- seeking to outbid them in the fight against Israel and the defense of Islam.
Israel began its 2014 offensive on Gaza with the declared aim of ending all rocket fire from the coastal enclave. However, as the conflict wore on, with no end in sight to the rocket fire, Israel sought in part to redefine its aims, with the destruction of' tunnels Israel Gaza given as one of its key targets.
According to Israeli army figures, Israeli forces destroyed 32 tunnels during the 50-day war, 14 of which crossed the border into Israel.
16 apr 2016
The Israeli occupation army on Saturday started anew its digging activities along the eastern borderline of the Gaza Strip to search for underground tunnels.
According to Quds Press, seven big excavators were used in the search operation, which started on the eastern border of Rafah area, south of Gaza.
During the operation, Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian citizens and farmers in different border areas, especially east of Gaza City.
The border tunnels, which were built by al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, played an important role in launching abrupt counterattacks on Israeli military targets during the 2014 war.
According to Quds Press, seven big excavators were used in the search operation, which started on the eastern border of Rafah area, south of Gaza.
During the operation, Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian citizens and farmers in different border areas, especially east of Gaza City.
The border tunnels, which were built by al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, played an important role in launching abrupt counterattacks on Israeli military targets during the 2014 war.
2 apr 2016
Egyptian forces shot and killed four smugglers Saturday in the Egyptian territory south of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Egyptian security sources said.
The sources, who wish to remain unnamed, told Ma'an that border guard officers exchanged gunfire with a group of smugglers trying to access an opening of a tunnel in the area of al-Duhniyya about one kilometer south of the Rafah crossing.
Border guard officers noticed “suspicious movement,” and when they arrive to assess the movement, smugglers opened fire on them from a hole in the ground that appeared to be a smuggling tunnel, the sources added.
The officers returned fire and killed four of the alleged smugglers while two others managed to escape back inside the tunnel after they had been shot and injured.
The source said the slain could not be identified.
Egyptian army engineers later arrived to the site and blew up the opening to the tunnel.
Until the July 2013 ouster of democratically-elected Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt provided a vital lifeline for the territory amidst the otherwise crippling Israeli blockade, which has been in place since 2007.
Since the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi came to power, however, Egypt has strictly enforced the blockade and targeted the tunnels.
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 the Gaza Strip.
The UN reported in February that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The sources, who wish to remain unnamed, told Ma'an that border guard officers exchanged gunfire with a group of smugglers trying to access an opening of a tunnel in the area of al-Duhniyya about one kilometer south of the Rafah crossing.
Border guard officers noticed “suspicious movement,” and when they arrive to assess the movement, smugglers opened fire on them from a hole in the ground that appeared to be a smuggling tunnel, the sources added.
The officers returned fire and killed four of the alleged smugglers while two others managed to escape back inside the tunnel after they had been shot and injured.
The source said the slain could not be identified.
Egyptian army engineers later arrived to the site and blew up the opening to the tunnel.
Until the July 2013 ouster of democratically-elected Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt provided a vital lifeline for the territory amidst the otherwise crippling Israeli blockade, which has been in place since 2007.
Since the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi came to power, however, Egypt has strictly enforced the blockade and targeted the tunnels.
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 the Gaza Strip.
The UN reported in February that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
17 mar 2016
Chief of General Staff in the Israeli occupation army Gadi Eisenkot said that over one billion shekels were invested in trying to find a solution to the problem of Hamas’s tunnels in the Gaza Strip.
500 million of shekels out of the total amount have been invested for the same goal since the end of the Israeli war on Gaza in July 2014, he added.
Eisenkot said that the army believes that the tunnels constitute a real danger and costs too large budgets on various technological and practical levels.
He also revealed that 65% of the Israeli forces are present in the West Bank. “In the beginning of 2015 the Israeli intelligence warned of the possibility of security instability in the Palestinian territories,” he pointed out.
“Based on that, the Israeli army got prepared and has been working with no restrictions," but on the other hand, it is impossible to deter everyone who wants to carry out a stabbing attack, Eisenkot said.
500 million of shekels out of the total amount have been invested for the same goal since the end of the Israeli war on Gaza in July 2014, he added.
Eisenkot said that the army believes that the tunnels constitute a real danger and costs too large budgets on various technological and practical levels.
He also revealed that 65% of the Israeli forces are present in the West Bank. “In the beginning of 2015 the Israeli intelligence warned of the possibility of security instability in the Palestinian territories,” he pointed out.
“Based on that, the Israeli army got prepared and has been working with no restrictions," but on the other hand, it is impossible to deter everyone who wants to carry out a stabbing attack, Eisenkot said.
14 mar 2016
Abd al-Salah al-Butnaji 36
A Hamas field commander died on Monday, in a tunnel accident which occurred in the Gaza Strip, the party stated.
The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, said that Abd al-Salah al-Butnaji died while he was working in a tunnel in Gaza.
Al-Butnaji, 36, was from the al-Shujayya neighborhood of Gaza City, the statement added, according to Ma'an.
The al-Qassam Brigades did not give further details on the circumstances behind his death.
On Saturday, the Gaza Strip’s civil defense found the bodies of two Palestinian workers in a tunnel which had been flooded by Egypt, three days earlier.
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. The UN reported in February that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas field commander died on Monday, in a tunnel accident which occurred in the Gaza Strip, the party stated.
The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, said that Abd al-Salah al-Butnaji died while he was working in a tunnel in Gaza.
Al-Butnaji, 36, was from the al-Shujayya neighborhood of Gaza City, the statement added, according to Ma'an.
The al-Qassam Brigades did not give further details on the circumstances behind his death.
On Saturday, the Gaza Strip’s civil defense found the bodies of two Palestinian workers in a tunnel which had been flooded by Egypt, three days earlier.
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. The UN reported in February that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
13 mar 2016
Fadi Taiseer Abu Dan (picture)
Mohammad Khader Abbas
The Palestinian Civil Defense, of Gaza’s Interior Ministry, has reported on Saturday evening that rescue workers managed to locate the bodies of two Palestinians, who went missing after a siege-busting tunnel collapsed on them on Thursday.
It said the ongoing search in the rubble of the collapsed trade tunnel, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, led to locating the bodies of two tunnel workers.
The two Palestinians have been identified as Fadi Taiseer Abu Dan, from Khan Younis, and Mohammad Khader Abbas, from Rafah; both in their twenties.
It is worth mentioning that the tunnel collapsed, on Thursday morning, trapping seven workers under the rubble; rescue teams managed to rescue five on them and continued the search for the remaining two.
The Health Ministry in Gaza has reported that twelve Palestinians, including ten members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, have been killed in tunnel incidents, since the beginning of this year.
Many Palestinians, not affiliated with ant armed group in Gaza, work in the tunnels to provide for their families amidst the deadly Israeli siege on the improvised coastal region.
On Thursday evening, March 3, a Palestinian was killed after a siege-busting tunnel collapsed on him, suffocating him under the rubble.
The Palestinian has been identified as Mohammad Mousa al-Astal, 31, from the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Gaza civil defense finds two bodies in flooded border tunnel
The Gaza Strip’s civil defense found the bodies of two Palestinians workers in a flooded tunnel late on Saturday, days after Egyptian authorities pumped seawater into the structure.
Medical sources said that the civil defense found the bodies of Fadi Abu Dan, from Khan Yunis, and Muhammad Abbas, from Rafah, adding that both were in their twenties.
Seven Palestinians were rescued on Thursday during a search operation in the Gazan city of Rafah after Egyptian authorities flooded the tunnel while workers were present.
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 early last month 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 in February that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Mohammad Khader Abbas
The Palestinian Civil Defense, of Gaza’s Interior Ministry, has reported on Saturday evening that rescue workers managed to locate the bodies of two Palestinians, who went missing after a siege-busting tunnel collapsed on them on Thursday.
It said the ongoing search in the rubble of the collapsed trade tunnel, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, led to locating the bodies of two tunnel workers.
The two Palestinians have been identified as Fadi Taiseer Abu Dan, from Khan Younis, and Mohammad Khader Abbas, from Rafah; both in their twenties.
It is worth mentioning that the tunnel collapsed, on Thursday morning, trapping seven workers under the rubble; rescue teams managed to rescue five on them and continued the search for the remaining two.
The Health Ministry in Gaza has reported that twelve Palestinians, including ten members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, have been killed in tunnel incidents, since the beginning of this year.
Many Palestinians, not affiliated with ant armed group in Gaza, work in the tunnels to provide for their families amidst the deadly Israeli siege on the improvised coastal region.
On Thursday evening, March 3, a Palestinian was killed after a siege-busting tunnel collapsed on him, suffocating him under the rubble.
The Palestinian has been identified as Mohammad Mousa al-Astal, 31, from the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Gaza civil defense finds two bodies in flooded border tunnel
The Gaza Strip’s civil defense found the bodies of two Palestinians workers in a flooded tunnel late on Saturday, days after Egyptian authorities pumped seawater into the structure.
Medical sources said that the civil defense found the bodies of Fadi Abu Dan, from Khan Yunis, and Muhammad Abbas, from Rafah, adding that both were in their twenties.
Seven Palestinians were rescued on Thursday during a search operation in the Gazan city of Rafah after Egyptian authorities flooded the tunnel while workers were present.
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 early last month 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 in February that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
10 mar 2016
Seven Palestinians were rescued during a search operation in the Gaza Strip’s Rafah city on Thursday after Egyptian authorities allegedly flooded a tunnel where workers were present, Palestinian security sources said.
While seven workers were rescued, Gazan authorities are still looking for one more worker thought to be stuck inside the tunnel.
Palestinian security sources said the tunnel was flooded when Egyptian authorities pumped seawater into the structure.
Last month, Egyptian authorities destroyed another tunnel on the border of the Gaza Strip, with no injuries reported.
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 early last month 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 in February that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
While seven workers were rescued, Gazan authorities are still looking for one more worker thought to be stuck inside the tunnel.
Palestinian security sources said the tunnel was flooded when Egyptian authorities pumped seawater into the structure.
Last month, Egyptian authorities destroyed another tunnel on the border of the Gaza Strip, with no injuries reported.
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 early last month 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 in February that only a few tunnels remained partially operational between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
4 mar 2016
Mohammad Mousa al-Astal 31
Israeli soldiers killed, on Friday morning, a Palestinian woman driving her car close to the Gush Etzion settlement block, on the main Bethlehem-Hebron road, south of Bethlehem. One Palestinian died in a tunnel accident in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army claims that Amani Hosni Jawad Sabateen, 34, from Husan town west of Bethlehem, tried to ram soldiers with her car, and that one officer was mildly wounded before the army shot her dead.
The wounded officer was moved to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem.
The army said the woman was driving a white Hyundai with Israeli license plates, and reportedly “carried a knife in her car.”
Local sources said the soldiers fired many rounds of live ammunition on the car, especially the front shield, fatally wounding the woman with several bullets. The slain woman is a married mother of five children.
The Israeli army closed all roads leading to Husan town, directly after killing the woman, and placed various concrete blocks, on the western and eastern roads leading to the town, and placed sand hills, completely isolating the town.
In related news, medical sources in Gaza said a young man was killed, on Thursday evening, after a siege-busting tunnel collapsed on him, suffocating him under the rubble.
The sources identified the deceased Palestinian as Mohammad Mousa al-Astal, 31, from the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers have killed many Palestinians, under similar allegations of trying to ram soldiers with their cars, despite eyewitness accounts of accidental incidents that eventually led to fatal shootings.
One of them is Mahdiyya Mohammad Ibrahim Hammad, 38, a married mother of four children, from Silwad town, near Ramallah.
Another woman, identified as Tharwat Ibrahim Salman Sha’rawi, 72, was killed under similar circumstances, in Hebron.
Israeli soldiers killed, on Friday morning, a Palestinian woman driving her car close to the Gush Etzion settlement block, on the main Bethlehem-Hebron road, south of Bethlehem. One Palestinian died in a tunnel accident in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army claims that Amani Hosni Jawad Sabateen, 34, from Husan town west of Bethlehem, tried to ram soldiers with her car, and that one officer was mildly wounded before the army shot her dead.
The wounded officer was moved to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem.
The army said the woman was driving a white Hyundai with Israeli license plates, and reportedly “carried a knife in her car.”
Local sources said the soldiers fired many rounds of live ammunition on the car, especially the front shield, fatally wounding the woman with several bullets. The slain woman is a married mother of five children.
The Israeli army closed all roads leading to Husan town, directly after killing the woman, and placed various concrete blocks, on the western and eastern roads leading to the town, and placed sand hills, completely isolating the town.
In related news, medical sources in Gaza said a young man was killed, on Thursday evening, after a siege-busting tunnel collapsed on him, suffocating him under the rubble.
The sources identified the deceased Palestinian as Mohammad Mousa al-Astal, 31, from the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers have killed many Palestinians, under similar allegations of trying to ram soldiers with their cars, despite eyewitness accounts of accidental incidents that eventually led to fatal shootings.
One of them is Mahdiyya Mohammad Ibrahim Hammad, 38, a married mother of four children, from Silwad town, near Ramallah.
Another woman, identified as Tharwat Ibrahim Salman Sha’rawi, 72, was killed under similar circumstances, in Hebron.
