Q&A - IMRA to IDF Spokesperson on infiltration tunnels in "target bank"

Dr. Aaron Lerner
IMRA
07 January '10

Questions:

Question #1 How many infiltration tunnels leading from the northern and southern Gaza Strip towards Israel are in Israel's "target bank"?

If the answer is greater than zero:

Question #2: What is the approximate number of such tunnels, on average, being constructed each month by the Palestinians?

and

Question #3: Does this mean that it is Israeli policy to allow these tunnels, that could be used at any time "for infiltrating into Israel and executing a terror attack against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers" remain in place - or even increase in number - in accordance with the numberof Gaza attacks that justify retaliatory strikes?]

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In Response To Query
IDF Spokesperson Unit
Thursday, January 07, 2010

On the night of January 2, in a joint IDF-ISA operation, IAF planes attacked terrorist infiltrations tunnels in the northern Gaza Strip near the Nahal Oz crossing and in the southern Gaza Strip near Kissufim. The tunnels were dug about a kilometer from the security fence and were intended to facilitate terror attacks against Israeli civilians in the communities neighboring Gaza and against Israeli soldiers defending the border.

Since the end of the Gaza operation, the IDF has continued to operate against terror organizations and has struck over 100 targets, including tunnels used to enable terrorists to infiltrate Israeli territory and attack Israeli soldiers and civilians within Israel, smuggling tunnels used to smuggle weapons for use by terrorists, terror squads on their way to launch rockets at Israel's civilians, and weapons manufacturing and storage sites.

The IDF will not tolerate any attacks by terror organizations on Israel and will continue to act strongly against terror organizations seeking to undermine the fragile quiet in the south.
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