In the early morning hours today, prior the implementation of the humanitarian ceasefire, the IDF spotted a terror cell infiltrating from Gaza. Aircraft targeted the terrorists in a dramatic video.
The Israeli military said it foiled an attempt by Gaza militants to infiltrate a kibbutz through a tunnel early Thursday, hours before the two sides briefly halted fire for a humanitarian lull in which Gaza residents tentatively stepped into the streets, hoping to find one of the handful of cash machines that opened for the first time since the conflict escalated July 8. …An Israeli military spokesman said it was not immediately clear if all the militants from the tunnel had been killed. Residents of the Israeli border community nearest the exit of the tunnel, Kibbutz Sufa, were told to stay in their homes for several hours after the initial confrontation, which began around 4.30 a.m.
The Times also reported that already a number of mortars have been fired into Israel since the ceasefire began.
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, an IDF spokesman, said the IDF believed at least one militant was killed in the strike and that the remaining fighters appeared to have returned to Gaza through the tunnel. Footage released by the IDF showed a number of individuals creeping slowly toward what appeared to be a hole in the ground. A separate shot showed an explosion from an airstrike on the tunnel entrance.Lerner said the attack “could have had devastating consequences” and said the militants were armed with “extensive weapons,” including rocket-propelled grenades. Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility for the infiltration, saying in a statement that “during the withdrawal after the completion of its mission,” the militants were struck by “jet fighters.” It said the group returned safely, however, and that no one was killed.
IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Moti Almoz said the military received an alert at 4 a.m. on Thursday, and that intelligence units detected an attempt by terrorists in Gaza to enter Israel through an underground tunnel.”Units arrived at the area, and terrorists were apparently surprised. They began returning to the tunnel. The air force began attacking them from the air,” Almoz said. “We understand there are casualties [among the terrorists]. The full picture is not yet known,” he added.
Just prior to beginning Operation Protective Edge, Israel destroyed a smuggling tunnel and averted a similar terror attack.
In October 2013, Israel discovered a smuggling tunnel and BuzzFeed posted pictures of the tunnel. Ask yourself, what if Hamas put all of that engineering know how and resources into building a functioning society instead of dedicating them to destroying Israel?
[Photo: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Flickr ]
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY