After the IDF reported that more than 30,000 Hamas munitions have been destroyed in the Gaza Strip, military sources claimed that efforts should have been focused on suppressing arms smuggling in a more targeted manner over the past two years.
Now, in the IDF Southern Command, they are working on a plan to address the Philadelphi Corridor in order to prevent the rearmament of Hamas terrorists.
“The scope of the captured munitions since the beginning of the war is unprecedented,” said an IDF special forces officer who spoke from the Gaza Strip to Walla! “The volume of munitions and anti-tank missiles used against us is on a scale reminiscent of the warfare of global Jihadist organizations in Syria and Iraq.” An IDF spokesperson stated that so far, the forces have destroyed around 30,000 munitions, and military sources have criticized the defense apparatus for not acting sufficiently to prevent Hamas from amassing this amount of weaponry.
Since Operation Guardian of the Walls, the Southern Command estimated that it would take years for Hamas to restore its weapon stockpiles, emphasizing rockets, anti-tank missiles, and various types of explosive devices.
However, the numbers show that not only has Hamas closed the gap, but it has surpassed expectations, using means such as smuggling weapons and ammunition through tunnels beneath the Philadelphi Corridor, crossing through a controlled Egyptian checkpoint, or entering from the sea beneath the Israeli Navy’s nose. Otherwise, there is no explanation for the large quantity of weapons that the IDF is finding daily along the Gaza Strip.
Military sources emphasized that this is a comprehensive responsibility of the entire defense apparatus tasked, among other things, with preventing the smuggling of weapons from the Middle East through Sinai to the Gaza Strip. Apparently, this mission has failed.
IDF conducting anti-smuggling operations
According to military sources, in recent weeks, the IDF Southern Command has conducted operations in the area aimed at preventing Hamas terrorists smuggling to and from Gaza. Concurrently, efforts are being made to deal with the Philadelphi Corridor and how goods will subsequently enter through the Rafah crossing to prevent the rearmament of terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
In the background, Egypt is sending messages to Israel not to take aggressive actions in the area, to avoid riots and Palestinians attempting to cross into Egyptian territory. According to security officials, the sensitive issue has been raised with the Egyptians, and both sides are supposed to formulate a security solution in coordination.
“There is no intention to transfer all the weapon stockpiles and explosive devices to Israel; it is dangerous and serves no purpose. Therefore, we systematically destroy them in Palestinian territory,” the officer said. “These are weapon depots and large stockpiles. The volume is so vast that the terrorists go out into the streets like innocent civilians and move between buildings because they know that almost every house has weapons and ammunition, so why should they risk carrying weapons when we are looking for them?”
Walla! reported on Sunday about an IDF operation with the assistance of combat engineers and tanks near the Kerem Shalom crossing. However, the IDF clarified that it was an operation aimed at securing the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, not for the purpose of destroying Hamas tunnels.
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