IDF Blows Up Gaza Terror Tunnel

The IDF carried out a controlled explosion of a Hamas cross-border tunnel along the Gaza border Monday afternoon. According to Palestinian sources, the tunnel crossed into Israel near the Palestinian city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

“This is a severe violation of Israeli sovereignty and must not be overlooked,” an IDF spokesman said. “The successful operation was based on advanced technologies. The IDF continues [to combat tunnels] with the various means at its disposal which are becoming more and more sophisticated.

“The terror organization Hamas is responsible for everything that occurs in the Gaza Strip or emanates from there.”

The operation followed an announcement Sunday by UNRWA, the United Nations agency tasked with aiding Palestinian refugees, said it had found a tunnel under a school it operates in the Gaza Strip. UNRWA said the tunnel was discovered on October 15 and the school had been closed for 10 days, but it did not say where the tunnel had been found.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said the revelation of a tunnel under an UNRWA school yard showed “what Hamas rule looks like.”

Danon accused Hamas of  a “double war-crime committed as terror tunnels are built to attack Israelis, while using the children of Gaza as human shields.”

“We cannot accept a situation in which UNRWA schools are used as terror bases.  This dangerous incident must not be ignored and strict oversight is needed to ensure that UN facilities are not used to protect terrorists,” Danon said.