'Neutralized' Hamas tunnel network in Gaza Strip within 5 days, says IDF
May 20, 2021
Tel Aviv [Israel], May 20 : The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday claimed that it had "neutralized" what it described as the terror tunnel network of the Hamas in the Gaza strip.
"Hamas has spent the last decade building the 'Metro' terror tunnel network. In just 5 days, we neutralized it," the IDF tweeted.
The IDF conducted a number of overnight strikes in the Gaza Strip, continuing its campaign against Hamas's sprawling tunnel network throughout the enclave, as per the military claim, reported The times of Israel.
Meanwhile, around 80 rockets and mortar shells were fired from the Gaza strip toward Israel between 7 pm on Wednesday to 7 am today, with 10 of them falling short of the border and landing within the Palestinian enclave, claimed the IDF, according to The Times of Israel.
The defense forces said that around 90 per cent of the rockets heading toward populated areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, reported The Times of Israel.
Earlier this month, the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict started when the unrest began in East Jerusalem over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area.
At least 212 Palestinians have died since the beginning of the fighting, 61 of them children. 42 Palestinians were reported killed on Sunday in the deadliest single strike since the violence erupted a week ago, as per Al Jazeera report.
Meanwhile, more than 3,000 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel in the escalating conflict, killing about 10 people in Israel, including two children and an Indian national.
Israel fired shells towards Lebanon in response to rocket launches on Monday. A Lebanese security source confirmed to Al Jazeera that Israel had fired 22 shells towards Lebanon, after it was reported that six rockets had been fired from south Lebanon.
On Tuesday, the IDF said that they have struck nine rocket launch pads throughout Gaza.
