Courtesy: IDF Blog

A few days ago, IDF soldiers discovered the entrance of a tunnel built by Gaza terrorists. The tunnel ended near Israeli civilian communities, reaching hundreds of meters into Israel. This was the fourth discovery of a terror tunnel for 1st Sgt Tal Strul, Chief Engineer for the development and building unit responsible for the Gaza region.

The tunnel was discovered at the southern border of the Gaza Strip and was almost nine  meters deep. These tunnels are a real threat to Israel’s security: they give terrorists easy access to Israeli cities and villages near Gaza.

“When our intelligence alerted us to the existence of the tunnel, we quickly located its point of exit near Israeli cities and opened it. Then my soldiers and I followed the tunnel’s route until the Gaza Strip’s border. We poured water and cement inside in order to close it off and neutralise the threat,” explained 1st Sgt. Strul.

A history of the terror tunnels

This tunnel was not the first to be uncovered by the IDF.

“I’ve been serving in the IDF since November 2010 and this is not the first time I’ve dealt the threat of tunnels,” said 1st Sgt. Strul.  “We uncovered three other tunnels in the past. A few days ago was our fourth. It won’t be the last,” he added.

Hamas spends 20-30 percent of its military budget on the development of its underground infrastructure.

A dangerous game of hide and seek

The development and building unit responsible for the Gaza region was created in August 2003, following a significant increase in terror acts emanating from the Gaza Strip.

Those who build the tunnels are aware of the unit’s existence.“The Gazan terrorists hide themselves from our forces when they build the tunnels. To do this, they begin digging in homes or in closed buildings. This way, they try to cover up the tunnels’ entrances so that they have time to finish them and plan terror attacks against civilians and soldiers in Israel,” Strul said.

1st Sgt. Strul is proud to lead the many soldiers who serve in his unit. “Daily, my soldiers ensure the safety of other soldiers and civilians in Israel. We deal with a lot of explosives that terrorists from Gaza plant along the security fence and near IDF military positions.”

This unit cooperates with all of the IDF forces operating in the Gaza region, including observers, patrol units and scouts.

A soldier investigating the Gazan terror tunnel that lead into Israeli civilian communities, the same type that was used to kidnap Gilad Shalit.