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Why Hamas changes strategy, privileges arrangement with Israel

Hamas is not interested in a war with Israel, despite the attack tunnel recently discovered by the Israel Defense Forces.

Members of Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas stand while searching for missing or dead militants after Israel blew up a cross-border tunnel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 3, 2017. Picture taken November 3, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC13FEDDA970
Members of Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas stand while searching for missing or dead militants after Israel blew up a cross-border tunnel, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 3, 2017. — REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

On July 8, the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the Israeli-Hamas war codenamed Operation Protective Edge, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) uncovered yet another tunnel the organization had dug from the southern Gaza Strip into Israel. Crews building a subterranean barrier along the Gaza border located the tunnel when they were pouring concrete and reinforcing it with iron rods dozens of meters below ground. The barrier is designed to make it virtually impossible for Hamas to dig tunnels into Israel, although it is not foolproof, given that Hamas has proven its ingenuity in overcoming engineering obstacles on the Gaza-Egypt border, successfully digging hundreds of smuggling tunnels into the enclave despite Israeli-installed steel castings.

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