Gaza War: July 30-31, 2014

By Aryeh Savir

Aryeh Savir
Aryeh Savir

JERUSALEM (TNA) — The IDF is continued on Thursday, July 31, to dismantle the terror tunnels in Gaza, while deepening its hold on the Gaza Strip. For the first time in the operation the IDF entered the Jabaliya refugee camp. Israel has reportedly stepped up its military strikes on Hamas targets as well.

In one incident,Givati forces shot and killed a gunman who fired an anti-tank missile at troops in the southern Gaza Strip overnight. In the course of house searches in the central Gaza Strip, IDF soldiers uncovered sensitive intelligence gathered by Hamas on the IDF, numerous weapons, and a large number of tunnels used as bunkers linking a string of houses. A joint IDF task force further uncovered a tunnel entrance on the ground floor of a mosque that had been used by Hamas terrorists to attack Israeli soldiers.

Three soldiers were killed Wednesday, July 30, when the structure they entered, a former UNRWA clinic, blew up. They were operating in Gaza in order to uncover offensive tunnels, and indeed uncovered a tunnel opening inside a house in the southern Gaza Strip. Two explosive devices were detonated against the soldiers, one from within the tunnel and a second one that was concealed within the house. The explosion caused the building to collapse and the injury of several other soldiers. The three, members of an elite paratrooper unit, are Staff Sgt. Matan Gotlib, 21; Staff Sgt. Omer Hay, 21; Staff Sgt. Guy Algranati, 20. Fifty-six soldiers and three civilians have been killed in three weeks of fighting.

The IDF planned to call up an additional 16,000 reservists Thursday to give the military “some breathing room”, bringing the total of reserve soldiers called up to 86,000.

Israel called for another four-hour humanitarian truce Thursday afternoon, which Hamas did not reciprocate. Indeed, Hamas fired more than 130 rockets into Israel in the course of the day.

Endless reports on a possible ceasefire continued.An Israeli delegation reportedly flew to Cairo for ceasefire discussions, and left after just a few hours. The Hamas delegation did not come. Egypt was said to be refusing to host a Palestinian delegation until Hamas ceases fire, which it is refusing to do.

Channel 2 reports that some 300,000 residents of southern Israel have left their homes since the start of Operation ‘Protective Edge’ due to the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and the infiltration threat. Many are reluctant to return, as the tunnel threat is still immanent.

Since Wednesday night, the IDF and IAF have targeted approximately 110 terror activity sites across the Gaza Strip. Five of the targets were the homes of senior Hamas officials who used their homes as command and control centers.

Over the past 24 hours over 140 rockets were fired at Israel, 81 rockets hit Israel, 9 were intercepted, and 50 fell short in the Gaza Strip. 36% of rockets fired at Israel yesterday fell short in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has fired over 2,670 rockets at Israeli civilians since the beginning of Operation ‘Protective Edge’.

In other developments, IDF forces have captured several hundred Hamas terrorists over the course of Operation ‘Protective Edge’. Many of them have been turned over for further questioning and investigation. The questioning of one of the terrorists revealed another of Hamas’ plans to kill and abduct Israeli soldiers and civilians. A Shabak investigation exposed that Hamas terrorists received training in Malaysia and Gaza to infiltrate Israel by air to kidnap and murder Israelis.

In the early hours of July 21st, IDF forces captured a Hamas cell commander in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza. When questioned by the Shabak, also known as the Shin Bet Security Service, the cell commander revealed that he had been sent by Hamas leadership to Malaysia for paragliding training. The plan was to parachute into Israel to kidnap and murder civilians.

The prisoner also revealed Hamas plans to ambush Israeli soldiers with anti-tank missiles and even pointed to a terrorist sniper nest on a map of Gaza. The location was the tenth floor of the Palestinian Red Crescent building in Khan Yunis.

The investigation of this terrorist commander reveals the process of the making of a terrorist. After being recruited into Hamas’ military wing in 2007, the terrorist underwent regular combat training. Every five months he would attend refresher courses which involved training with Kalashnikov automatic rifles, Soviet-made PKC machine guns and locally manufactured hand grenades.

In 2010, the terrorist was enlisted into a special force sent to Malaysia for parachute training, in preparation for a cross-border kidnapping attack on Israel. He and ten other terrorists from across Gaza spent a week receiving training in Malaysia.

After returning to Gaza, the cell was given additional weapons training. They were warned to maintain secrecy, and not to reveal details of their Malaysian training to anyone.

In 2014, four years after being sent to Malaysia, the Hamas commando squad was summoned for more parachute training. This time the training took place inside the Gaza Strip. According to the prisoner, the squad was not told about where the kidnapping attack would take place.

The terrorist told investigators about a Hamas training camp that took place in June of this year. Exercises involved training with handguns, Kalashnikovs, M-16s, RPGs, machine guns and demolitions training. Terrorists who attended the camp were trained in various methods of kidnapping soldiers and how to operate inside Hamas’ extensive tunnel network. The terrorist was meant to attend such a course after Ramadan.

Ultimately, he was arrested by IDF soldiers operating in Gaza during Operation ‘Protective Edge’.

A Shabak spokesman said that the details of their investigation reveals the extent of the efforts and resources that Hamas invests in bolstering its military capabilities, including the building and training of a standing commando army to attack and kidnap Israeli soldiers and civilians.

“Hamas goes to incredible lengths to carry out attacks against Israel. That is why the IDF will not rest in its mission to dismantle the organization’s terrorist infrastructure and keep the people of Israel safe” the spokesman concluded.

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Savir is a staff writer for the Tazpit News Agency in Israel