(BBC News) Quentin Sommerville - In an olive grove close to houses in southern Gaza, a deep pit contains a 120mm mortar tube, and three fighters from Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Fully armed and in combat fatigues, the men practice loading and unloading the tube from a stack of mortars at the back of their position. This is a show of readiness, a show of strength, for the next war with Israel. Viewed as a terrorist group in the West, Islamic Jihad is committed to Israel's destruction. At the back of the firing position is a small curtain that leads into a tunnel cut through the earth. It turns a corner and enters a larger, even deeper tunnel, perhaps 20m down. Its reinforced concrete walls have an arched roof, tall enough for the men to stand up and run through it. This is their escape route, running for hundreds of meters.
2015-02-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive