Adam Kredo of the Washington Free Beacon documents Hamas’ latest misdeeds.
Hamas is working to replenish its military arsenal even as the second phase of President Donald Trump’s peace plan requires the terror group to disarm, according to photos released by the Israel Defense Forces and statements from Hamas leaders. Hamas has conducted an increasing number of attacks against Israeli soldiers in recent days, while the IDF has discovered explosives hidden in United Nations provisions close to the ceasefire line where Israeli forces are operating.
The most recent “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement” took place on Monday, when “four armed terrorists exited an underground tunnel shaft and fired towards IDF soldiers” operating in Gaza’s Rafah neighborhood, according to a statement from the IDF, which said it eliminated all four militants. A similar incident occurred on Sunday, when Hamas attacked IDF soldiers near the yellow ceasefire line. There has been one such attack each day since Feb. 5, with numerous others dating back to the earliest days of the ceasefire. The intricate tunnel system beneath the streets of Gaza has remained operational as well, according to the IDF.
Last week, meanwhile, Israeli forces discovered “110 mortar shells hidden in [U.N. Relief and Works Agency] humanitarian aid bags” as well as “several rockets and additional weapons” hidden inside blankets. Hamas stored the weapons near locations where Israeli troops have been dismantling terror infrastructure, suggesting the group had planned an ambush.
Hamas attacked the same Israeli brigade that discovered the explosives about a week earlier, with six terrorists opening fire on the IDF. After the firefight, “the troops conducted searches in the area and located equipment and weapons, including an explosive device, magazines, and an instructional manual for the preparation of explosives,” as well as “five inactive rocket launchers,” according to the IDF. The incident coincided with an Israeli mission to dismantle a two-and-a-half-mile tunnel shaft that “contained several underground rooms and weapons.”
