GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip refer to the attack tunnels they dig toward Israeli settlements and military positions as a "strategic weapon" designed for any future confrontation.
On April 18, the Israeli army announced it had discovered two of the newest Hamas tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip. One tunnel was found near the Eshkol settlement east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. This tunnel, Israel said, extended under Israeli borders about 150 meters (164 yards). The second tunnel was found May 5 near the Sofa crossing east of the province. Israel said its army infiltrated and destroyed the 200-meter-long tunnel.
Since 2004, the Israeli army has devoted $250 million toward detecting Palestinian tunnels. According to Israeli reports, the army found and destroyed 30 tunnels during the 2014 war in Gaza.
Palestinian factions warned that if Israel continues to destroy the tunnels, it could lead to a new military confrontation in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israel warned the factions of the same outcome if they continue to build tunnels. Several ministers, including Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, and opposition leaders such as Avigdor Liberman have called on Israel to launch an attack on Gaza and destroy the tunnels before the Palestinian factions can use them against Israel.
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