| Very long article -- here are the first 1300 words explaining why Hamas is currently forced to work through knife stabbers and car rammers instead of erupting through cross border tunnels while rockets rain down on Tel Aviv. |
[Ynet] As Egypt cracks down on smuggling into Gazoo, a single checkpoint in Israel is a bottleneck for goods flowing to Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,'s military industry, with a special intelligence team tasked with foiling increasingly creative ways to transport forbidden materials.
| In the last two months, 25 serious indictments have been filed on charges of attempted smuggling, the sale of merchandise to terror groups in Gaza, and money laundering. And there are several dozen other cases in the pipeline that deal with smuggling to Gaza. |
Israel's experienced intelligence officers treat this group as an enemy that must not be underestimated. It is a serious close-knit group of 40-something year olds who have been together for over 20 years. They all have experience with underground and military activities, they've all been wanted by Israel since the mid-90s, and they have all survived liquidation attempts. They share a common language, which is a significant advantage in the secret war they are waging. The most senior among them, Mohammed Deif, has been wanted by Israel since 1992.
They don't care about the misgivings the political ranks of Hamas have had since Operation Protective Edge. While Khaled Mashal confronts the politicianship in Gazoo on questions like whether to join forces with the Paleostinian Authority; whether the formation of an Islamic state in the Gazoo Strip is the end of the process or just a stop on the way to a bigger goal; and whether to join forces with the Shi'ite, meaning Iran, and give up on Saudi support - the heads of Hamas' military wing are only focusing on one clear objective: Preparing for the next war against Israel. To them, anyone who can help them reach that objective is an ally. They have no problem with receiving money from Iran while at the same time having ties with ISIS in the Sinai. |