Tel Aviv, May 30 (BPNS)
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it has taken control of the Gaza- Egyptian border known as the Philadelphi area and had discovered 20 tunnels that were used for cross –border smuggling. This was announced by the spokesperson of the IDF ,Rear Admiral Daniel Hageri on Wednesday night.
The statement also said that the IDF discovered several rocket launchers also on the border.
IDF spokesman said that the newly captured strip of land runs 14 kilometres along the Gaza -Egypt border and is considered Hamas’s Oxygen Pipeline for smuggling weapons.
The statement said that of the 20 tunnels discovered, some were known to the Israel army but others were discovered for the first time. The IDF spokesman said that 82 tunnel shafts leading into the tunnels have been located in the newly captured border area.
IDF said that its troops are physically controlling most of the corridor but a small section is controlled by aerial surveillance. The Israel Defense Forces Spokesman in the statement also said that Hamas terrorists positioned the rocket launchers near the Egypt border believing that Israel wont shoot fearing that it would reach into Egyptian territory.
The statement read, “ Hamas took advantage of the Philadelphi area, took advantage of it and built its infrastructure just dozens of metres from the border with Egypt, so that we can’t strike there.”
