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The IDF Campaign to Destroy the Terror Tunnels

(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - On Thursday, the army advanced on several fronts, hitting many armed militants while locating tunnel shafts deeper inside Gaza, farther from the border. Commanders on the ground are discovering that these tunnels have many branches and that it is not sufficient to locate just one shaft in order to render a tunnel completely unusable. New methods to rapidly destroy a large network of tunnels are being quickly developed. The speed of the bulldozers and the detonation of explosive charges to cause the collapse of these tunnels are dictating the pace of the entire campaign. The close-hand fighting dictates more aggressive use of firepower. Officers in combat brigades say that they are not taking chances. Any house that looks suspicious is struck from the air or knocked over by a bulldozer. Great care is taken with regard to UNRWA buildings and with verifying targets. According to the assessments of IDF Military Intelligence and the Israel Security Agency, Hamas will soon agree to a cease-fire as a result of the extent of damage in Gaza and the hard blows Hamas' military wing has suffered. Hamas is now willing to reconsider the Egyptian proposal, after two weeks of pinning its hopes on Qatar's rival proposal. Egypt would not even receive a Palestinian delegation in Cairo until after Hamas commits to a cease-fire.
2014-08-01 00:00:00
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