Will Hamas respond to Israel's destruction of its tunnels?
Israel and Hamas are threatening each other with open warfare over Palestinian factions' tunnels that lead from Gaza into Israel, though military experts are divided on whether either side would take such action.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip refer to the attack tunnels they dig toward Israeli settlements and military positions as a "strategic weapon" designed for any future confrontation.
On April 18, the Israeli army announced it had discovered two of the newest Hamas tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip. One tunnel was found near the Eshkol settlement east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. This tunnel, Israel said, extended under Israeli borders about 150 meters (164 yards). The second tunnel was found May 5 near the Sofa crossing east of the province. Israel said its army infiltrated and destroyed the 200-meter-long tunnel.
