Although it is only nine months since the last war in Gaza, it seems that Hamas is yet again preparing for an attack on Israel. A news reporter has visited the vast tunnel complex that sits under the Gaza Strip and all the signs are clearly there.

Gaza City In Ruins
He reports that despite all the millions of dollars donated by various countries for the rebuilding of Gaza City from the last spat, little or nothing has been done to rebuild the houses of the 50,000 families made homeless. Makes you wonder what happened to all the money! It is clear that as usual, Hamas have not spent it on helping the people, but to buy more weapons.
During the last battle Israeli forces found and destroyed 32 tunnels, but it seems that number is but a drop in the ocean as they say. It seems the tunnel network, used by the Hamas fighters to such good effect, is in good condition and still in use.

Hamas Tunnels
The tunnels all have concrete reinforced walls with lighting, and are high enough for anyone to walk upright through them. Many go right up to the border with Israel and some even beyond.
Hamas fighters have declared that their intention next time is to attack and kidnap both civilian and military hostages from inside Israel.
Naturally enough the Israeli Military are worried about the number of tunnels that have penetrated the border into Israel, and are rumoured to be using ground scanning equipment to find them so they can be destroyed.

Shaar Hanegev With Gaza In The Background
It is clear that if the trouble starts again and Hamas fighters have the ability to penetrate the border, many civilians in the area will be in danger, not only from attack but also from becoming hostages.
From the report it is evident that Hamas have placed many mortars at the exit to these tunnels and are quite prepared to attack Israeli villages along the border.
During the last confrontation, 2,200 Gaza civilians lost their lives and 145 Hamas fighters, while Israel had 70 deaths. As I have stated in previous posts, which has been backed up by later official reports, the high Gazan civilian deaths can be directly attributed to the Hamas fighters firing their rockets from deep inside heavily populated areas of Gaza. Civilian deaths have consistently been Hamas’s best propaganda weapon to date.

Ready To Attack