By Aryeh Savir
JERUSALEM (TNA) — Ten Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel early Monday morning, July 21, via a terror tunnel, entering between the Erez checkpoint and the community of Nir Am. The group split into two contingents.
An IDF observation unit spotted the terrorists and forces were alerted. One contingent was attacked by the IAF and eliminated. The other was met by ground forces. All ten terrorists were killed. An anti-tank rocket was fired at the IDF forces during the fighting.
All residents in the area were ordered to stay in their homes and roads were shut down.
There were unconfirmed reports of Israeli casualties as well.
Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu held a security meeting with Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz and GOC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Sammy Turgeman at an IDF base in the south.
Netanyahu later said: “The IDF is making progress in the field according to plan and the operation will be expanded until the goal is achieved – restoring quiet to the citizens of Israel for a long period. The achievements in the fighting in the field are outstanding. I am impressed by the operation to hit the tunnels; it is achieving results beyond what we expected. On behalf of the people of Israel, I tell all the soldiers in the field that we are proud of their strength of spirit and that we pray for their well-being. A military campaign is a complex thing and it has difficult moments. I am certain that together, united, we will reach the goal.”
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon stated earlier that the operation would continue until there is quiet, adding that the IDF will draft more reservists if necessary.
Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz stated last week that that he believes the IDF should temporarily control Gaza, disarming Hamas while it does so.
Earlier on Monday, Hamas fired a massive barrage of rockets at several large cities in Israel. 14 rockets were fired at the Ashkelon area; nine of the rockets were intercepted and two fell in open spaces. Four rockets were fired at the Tel Aviv area; two were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-rocket system.
In total, Hamas has fired some 1,820 rockets at Israel since July 8th. That’s an average 140 rockets every day.
Heavy fighting continued Monday, July 21, in Gaza, primarily in the Shuja’iya neighborhood, which Hamas uses as a fortress for its weapons, rockets, tunnels and command centers. Hamas exploits the neighborhood’s residents as human shields for its terrorist activity. Urban warfare in Gaza presents a unique set of challenge; civilians are present, a tunnel network runs underneath the battlefield, and terrorists are familiar with the terrain. Since the beginning of the ground phase of the operation, IDF soldiers have found 14 openings to terror tunnels in Shuja’iya
Over the course of Sunday, IDF forces detected and detonated 6 offensive tunnels both in the Gaza Strip area and in Israeli territory. One of the tunnels uncovered in the southern Gaza Strip had 4 access points to it, one of them in Israel. During the detonation several secondary explosions were identified, suggesting it contained explosives. One of the access points in Gaza was uncovered inside a house. The tunnel was 1.2 KM long.
Speaking about the ‘tunnel city’ under Gaza, IDF Spokesman, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said: “Since the beginning of the ground phase of the operation, the IDF has exposed 14 tunnels headed towards Israel, all intended to infiltrate Israel and carry out terror attacks. It’s like the ‘Underground’, the ‘Metro’ or the ‘Subway’. These tunnels are all connected. I would describe it as ‘Lower Gaza’.”
Thirteen IDF soldiers of the Golani Brigade were killed in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours in several different incidents, bringing the number of killed soldiers in Operation ‘Protective Edge’ to 18. The IDF published the names of five of them. In an extremely difficult day to come, they will be laid to rest at military cemeteries across Israel. Making a statement to the press, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said that while the army suffered more losses in the past 24 hours than it did in previous days, “we understand that in battle, some are killed. But we know that this is our job and this is what we’re doing. The battles in some of these areas are both complex and difficult and despite that we remain determined to reach our objectives.” The chief of staff praised the work of the IDF soldiers and said the army was continuing to expand and intensify its operations. “Terrorists are hit; infrastructure is hit and destroyed in every area we enter.”
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Savir is a staff writer for the Tazpit News Agency in Israel