(Jerusalem Post) Yonah Jeremy Bob - The main goal of the Philadelphi Corridor tunnels for Hamas was not to smuggle weapons but to facilitate firing long-range rockets, IDF sources said Thursday. IDF sources said Rafah and the corridor had one of Hamas's largest long-range rocket arsenals. Hamas's strategy was to place the long-range rockets and their launchers next to the border with Egypt to deter Israel from striking them. Hamas rocket teams would hide in the large tunnels, which held launchers and inventories of rockets. The IDF did not invade Rafah during any of the large conflicts in 2008-09, 2012, 2014, and 2021, giving the Hamas rocket crews a sense of immunity. The largest number of weapons in Hamas's arms buildup is believed to have come aboveground through the Rafah Crossing, IDF sources said. Moreover, the IDF believes that when Mohamed Morsi was president of Egypt from 2012-2013, he allowed an unprecedented amount of weapons to go through the Rafah Crossing and the cross-border tunnels.
2024-09-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive