Israeli news website i24 reported today that the IDF has made progress in its first day on the ground in Gaza.
As the first day of Israel’s ground incursion into Gaza draws to a close, the IDF says it has uncovered a total of 21 tunnels in Gaza which are used to store and smuggle weapons.
After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement on Thursday night that ground troops were entering Gaza, the IDF has reportedly killed 17 terrorists and arrested 13, destroyed 20 rocket launchers, and hit over 100 militant targets.
Haaretz reported that a number of the tunnels that were discovered had been hit from the air, but an official pointed out that “really effectively destroying the tunnel can take hours, or even days.” Haaretz also pointed out that there are two different types of tunnels.
One of the aims defined by the IDF in the Gaza incursion is to damage and neutralize the tunnels that go out of Gaza. After 18 hours of the operation, with thousands of soldiers now in the enclave, the defense establishment is sure that this aim is being achieved, but they believe that there are more tunnels that IDF troops will deal with. Aside from the tunnels that cross the border and are meant to lead into Israeli territory, in the Strip there are kilometers of an interior network of tunnels. The senior officer said these are meant for underground maneuvers.
It is the border crossing tunnels, which could be used for terror attacks, that are the primary target of the incursion.
The reported arrests are important as the Times of Israel’s Mitch Ginsburg pointed out.
Boots and armor on the ground, moving in tandem, will also allow Israel to reach some of the rockets and launchers that were not targetable from the air and, perhaps more crucially, to gather intelligence. It has been many years since Shin Bet officers were able to question a wide swath of Gazans and an array of Hamas operatives. Each passing day will unearth more information about the whereabouts of terror personnel and weapons.
[Photo: Israel Defense Forces / Flickr ]