IDF official: Hamas has replenished its missile capability since 2014 war
The military assumption, the official noted, is that Hamas is not looking for a confrontation with Israel in the near future.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: FEBRUARY 1, 2017 10:32A gunman from the Izz ad-Din al- Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, photographed inside an underground tunnel in Gaza, in 2014.(photo credit: REUTERS)
An IDF senior military official on Wednesday told Channel 2 that Hamas has fully replenished its military capability it had lost following 2014's Operation Protective Edge. Hamas propaganda videoDuring an interview with the Israeli broadcaster, the official said that the terror organization had used the proceeding years since the 2014 offensive to work on its tunnels and shore-up its missile programs.A large part of Hamas's missile stockpile are self-made weapons from inside the Gaza Strip. The official said the material for making of the weapons came through the Egyptian controlled Rafah border crossing following peace talks between Hamas and Cairo.The military assumption, the official noted, is that Hamas is not looking for a confrontation with Israel in the near future.Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Hamas's military wing said Tuesday that Israel's concern with the organization's network of clandestine terror tunnels was proof of Hamas's success during the 2014 war.The Hamas spokesperson sighted an anticipated report on Operation Protective Edge that is expected to contain scathing criticism of Israel's military and political leadership. "In the near future, there will be even larger forces that will fall," the Hamas spokesperson said.The Knesset State Control’s classified subcommittee announced on Sunday that it had approved publishing of the State Comptroller’s Report on the 2014 Gaza war.According to pundits, the report is expected to be a political bombshell for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in terms of his reputation as “Mr. Security,” with consequences ranging from eventually bringing down the government to being another shot against his standing as rivals wait for a moment to strike.Hamas military operatives were also in full force Tuesday participating in a ceremony honoring one of its members, who was allegedly killed in a Mossad operation in Tunisia late last year.
Mohhamed Zawari, known to Israel's security echelon as "The Engineer," was found shot to death inside his vehicle in the city of Sfax, local media reported.Zawari, an aviation engineer and scientist, was shot three to seven times by unknown assailants in his car near his home.The motive behind his shooting remains unclear.