The Blaze:
The Israel Defense Forces have uncovered so far more than 30 tunnels meticulously dug over years by Hamas as a means to infiltrate under the border from Gaza and launch attacks on Israel.
Now, the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv has reported one brazen and chilling way Hamas had been planning to use its tunnels before Israel began uncovering some of them this week and dismantling them.
Quoting unnamed Israeli security sources, Ma’ariv reported that the plan was to send 200 terrorists through each tunnel simultaneously – using dozens of tunnels – to six Israeli communities in southern Israel for a shocking attack on the Jewish high holiday of Rosh Hashanah which this year begins on September 24.
Once there, the Hamas gunman planned to kill or kidnap as many Israelis as possible and bring the latter back to Gaza with them, again via the tunnels.
The IDF released this photo of one of the Hamas tunnels it uncovered (Image source: IDF)
As of this weekend, six Israeli soldiers have been killed by Palestinian gunmen who snuck into Israel using the underground structures.
The IDF has captured dozens of Hamas fighters in Gaza. The IDF told the Times of Israel that 70 were transferred to Shin Bet facilities for interrogation.
The IDF released this map showing the route of some of the tunnels it uncovered. It many cases, the entrance shafts are hidden in private homes, near mosques and schools in Gaza.
IDF map
This video from the IDF shows vivid aerial views of a tunnel being demolished:
This would not be the first time opponents of Israel have exploited a Jewish holiday. In 1973, Arab armies launched a surprise attack on Israel during the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.
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