There was, and for many still is, a considerable amount of Stockholm Syndrome type anxiety amid the general population of Israel when it comes to decisions to mount defensive strategies using offensive engagements.
However, even the most dovish of the Israeli population recognized the inherent risk when the IDF began publically exposing the size, scope and intents of the Gaza Tunnels:
With thirty tunnels found and almost seventy entrances it is now apparent that there was a “second Gaza” under the ground – complete with weapons stocks and everything needed for a combined attack on Israel.
Some of the tunnels had storage facilities with IDF-issued uniforms, helmets and shoes, as well as syringes with tranquilizers and handcuffs, ready for kidnapping Israeli citizens and taking them into Gaza.
Some people have asked me how come Israel never saw these tunnels which have exits inside Israeli territory. The answer is that the tunnels are not fully dug. They leave the last 3-6 feet of dirt intact so that there would be no outward sign of a tunnel being there.
The Hamas plan, it now turns out, was to simultaneously dig out of those tunnels the last 3-6 feet and then attack Israel from 30 or 40 tunnels simultaneously, using hundred if not thousands of Hamas terrorists, some dressed as IDF personnel. Such a massive wave of attack, combined with a barrage of rocket fire, could have had a devastating effect on Israel – had it not been for Operation Protective Edge.
Even the doves within Israel recognized they could not simply attempt defense any longer. Consequently the internal support for the Netanyahu and IDF response has been overwhelming. Hamas must be left without the potential to create such a network again. Against this reality Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to his nation:
ISRAEL – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed Israeli citizens on live television Monday evening after Hamas fired a mortar shell that killed four people in southern Israel.
“We knew that we would have difficult days,” he said. “This is a hard and painful day.”
“Patience and determination are required in order to fight a terror organization that seeks to destroy us,” the prime minister added. “We will not complete the operation without neutralizing the tunnels whose only purpose is to annihilate our children and our civilians.
“The action against the tunnels is the first step in demilitarizing Gaza,” Netanyahu declared. “The discussion about demilitarizing Gaza must be a part of any solution, and the international community must demand this with fervor, instead of letting money that enters Gaza to reach Hamas, and allowing concrete that enters to be used in tunnels.
“There must be an end to this,” Netayahu said. “It is unacceptable the citizens of Israel will live underthreat of death. Killing from above and killing from below.
“We must be prepared for a prolonged campaign,” he stressed. “We shall continue to act with determination until we achieve our goals.” (read more)
