GAZA: Israeli army continues to expose and blow up Palestinian tunnels in Gaza

Israeli forces continued to expose tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday (October 19, 2006), the Israeli army said. Israeli media reported that another five tunnels were discovered which comes up to a total of 13 tunnels since the beginning of operation 'Squeezed Fruit' launched on Tuesday (October 17). Some of the tunnels were detonated in a control manner. The army said the network of tunnels was being used by Palestinian militants to smuggle in weapons from Egypt. Personal belongings and food were found inside structures where some of the tunnels were discovered. The network was found at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt which has been open only sporadically since Israel renewed ground operations in the Gaza Strip in June after Palestinian militants seized a soldier in a raid into southern Israel. Although under Palestinian control with EU monitors, Israel has effective power to shut the crossing by cutting off access roads inside Israeli territory used by the European staff. Hamas said the deployment around the Rafah crossing -- Gaza's only link to the outside world that does not pass through Israel -- was tantamount to Israeli reoccupation of the border area. But Israel played down the scale of its objectives. Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip last year. Over the past week, Israel has ramped up its offensive, which it says is aimed at keeping pressure on militant groups, curtailing rocket attacks and finding cross-border tunnels.

ITN Source | October 20, 2006

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