By Aryeh Savir
US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro visited last Thursday (Oct. 17th) the terror tunnel uncovered by the IDF. He was taken on a tour of the tunnel network by Brig. Gen. Mickey Edelstein, Commander of the Gaza Division.
“Even though I have seen the photos of the tunnel in the papers, the truth is I was shocked by what I saw. It is clear that this tunnel has only one purpose: to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” Shapiro said in Hebrew. “There is no justification for this in our eyes; in no way will the US allow this. The U.S.,” he added, “fully condemns these acts by terror groups.”
“US condemns terrorist tunnels, supports Israel’s right and ability to self-defense, and is focused on advancing negotiations for peace,” tweeted the American ambassador following the tour.
The booby-trapped terror tunnel, exposed by the IDF on Oct. 7th, began in the Gaza town of Absan al-Zariz, located between the city of Khan Younis and the Gaza security fence. It extended for 1.7 kilometers, ending right near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha in Israel.
Hamas and other terror organization in Gaza invest millions of dollars and resources in order to operate an intricate network of tunnels leading into Israel. These tunnels are used for attacks and kidnappings, as in the case of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit. The IDF spokesperson’s office stated that terrorists are consistently using construction materials transferred into the Gaza Strip by Israel as humanitarian aid in order to build such tunnels.
The IDF Spokesperson Unit told Tazpit News Agency that three such “attack tunnels” have been discovered in 2013.
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Preceding provided by Tazpit News Agency