Israeli Targets Gaza's Hidden Tunnels

CBS Evening News: Half Of Underground Pathways Destroyed In Mideast Crisis

(CBS)  Still soaring out of Gaza on a whoosh and a white plume, every rocket aimed at Israel is another reminder of an enemy supply line the Israeli military can't seem to cut, even though Hamas is surrounded.

Just south of where CBS News correspondent Richard Roth reported from, Gaza's 25-mile long Mediterranean Sea coast is sealed off by an Israeli naval blockade.

Gunboats off shore command the sea, and block access to Gaza's port.

All along their land border, high-tech fences and constant patrols separate Israel and Gaza.

And, helped by $23 million of American aid last year, Egypt too has beefed up security along its short frontier.

So Gazans get over their border by going under it, through a network of tunnels that runs from buildings on their side deep under the ground - and the border fence - to hideaways in Egypt.

"These tunnels are not just foxholes," said Maj. Ron Edelheit, an Israeli Army spokesman. "They are very complicated structures. They're long. They have electricity. They have trails and tracks going through them."

Stretching as far as three quarters of a mile, the underground interstate is big enough for a barnyard of livestock to be smuggled through.

That's not what bothers Israel.

"Food? Who cares; but when we talk about bombs and rockets and TNT and C4 and you name it, that terrorizes the Israeli population that surrounds it, this is not something the state of Israel can live by," Edelheit said.

To win the war, Israel says it needs to stop the smuggling of arms and explosives.

Military sources believe aerial bombardment so far has destroyed about 200 tunnels. But 100 more may still be in use.

[honestabe8]

"Underground casino on the second floor? You don''t get any sneakier than that!"

[honestabe8]

Target a hidden tunnel? That''s got to be tough...

[nincomp]

The reason: The time clock has begun to run out. Iran is close to acquiring a nuclear device under the control of its radical president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said in June that Iran would have a nuclear weapon in as little as six months.

Posted by WarDogLRS at 07:37 AM : Jan 14, 2009
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Iran should end its pursuit of nuclear weapons if non Muslim countries do the same. Until that happens, Iran has the same right as US, Israel, India, Russia, UK, France, etc

[wardoglrs]

Israel ready to strike Iran.
The concept of insider information is a witch-hunter''s dream. It''s a natural for envy-driven losers, government lawyers, and the like.

Israel indeed will launch a strike against Iran''s nuclear facilities soon - possibly in just days as President George W. Bush prepares to leave office. The reason: The time clock has begun to run out. Iran is close to acquiring a nuclear device under the control of its radical president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said in June that Iran would have a nuclear weapon in as little as six months. That six-month period has passed. Reports of Israel''s decision to imminently launch strikes, although unconfirmed, would seem to contradict the Bush stance outlined in a front-page New York Times story last week, which asserted that Bush rejected a plea from Israel last year to help it raid Iran''s main nuclear complex

[wvu74621]

The Hamas parliament recently passed sharia law, including such punishments as crucifixion. Maybe the Palestinians should crucify the Hamas leadership who got them into this mess.


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Posted by geraldo45 at 01:49 AM : Jan 14, 2009


They can''t, Hamas leaders are sitting in Syria in a hotel partying with hookers and playing poker. See that is what fanaticism will get you. Follow terrorist thugs directives as they issue them from the safety of another country. Wow Hamas really cares about the Palestinians. I''ll bet the Hamas leader ensured all suicide vests were working properly before fleeing like a coward dog. POS

[wvu74621]

See Jimmy Carter %u201CAn Unnecessary War%u201D: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con


Jimmy Carter! HA HA HA HA HA HA. The President that accomplished absolutely noting during his term. You want to listen to that guy? He already met with the dirty thugs Hamas and nothing got accomplished, unless you call bieng ridiculed an accomplishment!

[wvu74621]

If Israel wants to stop the smuggling through tunnels they should construct a 100 foot corridor Philadelphia border crossing. Within that corridor dig a 50 foot wide 200 foot deep trench, at the bottom of the trench drive steel beams another 100 feet into the ground 1 foot apart and then fill it with water. And do the same at other points where tunnels run.

[geraldo45]

The Hamas parliament recently passed sharia law, including such punishments as crucifixion. Maybe the Palestinians should crucify the Hamas leadership who got them into this mess.

[kmawazini]

Israel can destroy these tunnels without killing 900 civilians!!! See Jimmy Carter %u201CAn Unnecessary War%u201D: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010702645_pf.html

[hugfol]

Why did the interviewer not ask the Israeli general why was there a need to smuggle food and animals into a country controlled by israel . a fact he readily acknowledeged. Could it be that israel has kept their boot on the neck of the gazans for so long that they have to smuggle in the most basic needs? If that happened to us here would we not fire rockets or whatever else we could get our hands on back at our oppressors?
Come on now people, this is wmds
we have learned nothing all over again and cbs nbc etc. etc is feeding it to us by the shovel full.

Posted by hugfol at 09:22 PM : Jan 13, 2009
+ report abuse

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a better question:

"how come palestine has a steady supply of weapons, ammo and rockets and no food and medicine??"


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an even better question How are you going to fight oppressors with sheep and goats?
You have to ask yourself: wouldn''t you fight the people who are stealing your land and denying your children medicines ,basic food stuffs, education and oppurtunity?
Israel has created this problem and we have encouraged them. we are as guilty of killing those civilians as the Israelis are and you simply cannot justify those killings with any excuse. You make youself sound very foolish when you try.

[nberry5-2009]

Whatever happened to balanced reporting? Yes Hamas has fired rockets into Israel after a six month truce because Israel violated the truce in November by assinating several Hamas leaders and refused to open the borders so that food and medicine can get into.

Didn''t it occur to Katie or Mr. Roth to ask why they are using tunnels to bring in livestock?

Also,Richard Murphy of MPR has reporting on the tunnels after spending a year investigating and going into them. What he found was they are rudimentary at best and are used to bring in food and other necessities.

The rockets and arms used by Hamas were taken from Fatah which were furnished to them by the US and Israel.They are not brought in by tunnel.

It is ironic how a persecuted people over several centuries can now be so callous to bomb and shell hapless defenseless people in the name of security.

[hugfol]

Why did the interviewer not ask the Israeli general why was there a need to smuggle food and animals into a country controlled by israel . a fact he readily acknowledeged. Could it be that israel has kept their boot on the neck of the gazans for so long that they have to smuggle in the most basic needs? If that happened to us here would we not fire rockets or whatever else we could get our hands on back at our oppressors?
Come on now people, this is wmds
we have learned nothing all over again and cbs nbc etc. etc is feeding it to us by the shovel full.

[letsbgood]

Well done
Take them all down

[heatherc6]

Press on, Israel! Ignore international pressure. Don''t stop until Hamas is gone!