IDF destroys terror tunnel, attacks targets in Gaza in response to security breach
The Israel Defence Forces attacked multiple targets in Gaza and destroyed a Hamas terror tunnel early on Wednesday.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley visits at a terror tunnel built by Hamas on the Israel-Gaza border, June 8, 2017. Photo by Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv
The strikes followed an incident on Tuesday morning, in which Palestinians breached the Israel-Gaza border near the inactive Kissufim crossing, illegally entering into Israeli territory and setting fire to an abandoned IDF post before fleeing back to Gaza.
A drone sent from Gaza also entered Israel on Tuesday, crashing in Israel’s Shaar HaNegev region, before being confiscated by the IDF.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said airstrikes were carried out in response to the repeated infiltration attempts, as well as “continued attempts to insert drones and kites into Israel for the purposes of terrorism and arson.” The IDF further blamed Hamas for any consequences Gazans would suffer as a result of terror activity in the area.
The same unit also reported that Hamas terrorists are attacking Israeli security infrastructure on the border daily, and that the IDF “is determined to realize its defensive tasks and ensure the safety of the people of Israel.”
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman praised the success of the mission on Twitter, adding “it’s good for the heads of Hamas to internalize that their military project is a failure and [instead] invest all of their efforts in improving the life of Gazans.”
(JNS)
