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Israel security establishment warns Hamas using quiet to prepare for conflict
Senior figures within Israel’s security establishment have expressed satisfaction at the current period of calm in Gaza, but have warned that Hamas is busily preparing for a future conflict with Israel.
Speaking to military correspondents on Tuesday, Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon noted the relative quiet since Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014, although rockets have subsequently been fired periodically into Israel from Gaza. Ya’alon said “The fact there is no offensive move against us [by Hamas] has to do with deterrence and our policy in all sectors.” He also commented that although “We generate deterrence opposite all [terrorist] groups,” at the same time, Israel “simultaneously allowed the [Palestinian] economy to grow by ensuring goods come through” into Gaza.
However, he warned that during this period of calm, “Hamas is building up its military abilities regarding the missile production and rebuilding tunnels.” Hamas itself has admitted to reconstructing the underground tunnel network beneath Israel’s border, which was used to attack Israeli targets during Operation Protective Edge. On at least twelve occasions this year, tunnels in the Gaza Strip have collapsed while being rebuilt, killing several Hamas operatives.
Meanwhile, yesterday Amos Gilad, director of the Defence Ministry’s Political-Military Affairs Bureau, echoed a similar message at a conference at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He said “The good news is that our deterrence is still working” and predicted that there would not be a conflict between Israel and Hamas this summer. He explained, “Hamas will not attack us because it fears for itself”
However, Gilad said that the long-term forecast was less positive, commenting “I do want to warn, however, that the real threat from Hamas lies in its central ideology that agreements with Israel have no place.” He added, “they [Hamas] are faithful to their ways and they have patience, they are willing to wait. Hamas is not willing to adopt any principle which recognises true coexistence and peace.”