Israel announced on Friday that close to 700 tunnel shafts have been found in the final Hamas stronghold of Rafah along with 50 Hamas terrorist tunnels between Gaza and Egypt.
The disclosure came as part of attorney Gilad Noam’s defense of Israel before the International Court of Justice against false allegations of genocide brought by South Africa.
“These tunnels are used by Hamas to supply itself with weapons and ammunition, and could potentially be used to smuggle out of Gaza hostages or Hamas senior operatives,” Gilad explained. Watch:
Nearly 700 tunnel shafts have been identified in Rafah, with ~50 tunnels crossing into Egypt, revealed @DrGiladNoam at today's sham @CIJ_ICJ hearing.
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) May 17, 2024
Those tunnels are used to smuggle weapons to Hamas and can be used to smuggle senior terrorists and/or hostages out of Gaza. pic.twitter.com/UAgvyTCoJk
A Flash Brief on the development — which confirmed what most experts expected to find — from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) characterized the situation as one where Israel “finally lifted the veil on one of the region’s open secrets” and “comes not a moment too soon.”
The secret: “that the Egyptians, while cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood in their midst, have been turning a blind eye and likely making a handsome profit off gun-running to Hamas, the Brotherhood’s Palestinian affiliate,” explained FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz.
“There are potentially dozens of hostages in Rafah — Americans among them, perhaps — who now face the prospect of being transported into the Egyptian Sinai, never to be seen again,” Dubowitz warned. “The United States must use its diplomatic and military aid to Cairo to stop Cairo’s double game.”
Joe Truzman, senior research analyst for FDD’s “Long War Journal,” emphasized that “Israel has been nothing but patient with Egypt playing spoiler during this crisis,” including Cairo’s refusal to accept refugees from Gaza — “a temporary measure that would have shortened the Gaza war” — as Egypt fortified its above-ground border with Gaza.
“All the Israelis have got in return has been vitriol and, most recently, Egyptian support for the foul allegations being leveled against them at The Hague,” added Truzman. “President Sisi is supposed to be a pragmatist rather than a populist. This cannot continue.”