Jerusalem – A Hamas terrorist arrested by Israel at the beginning of April has revealed a significant amount of information on the efforts by Hamas to build tunnels into Israel, the Shin Bet released for publication on Thursday. This comes shortly after a second Hamas ‘terror tunnel’ was discovered by the IDF in the last few weeks.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The Hamas military wing member told interrogators many details about the routes of the tunnels in the northern Gaza Strip, about Hamas’s digging techniques, about the use of private and public buildings from which the tunnels originate, and about the technologies and materials used in the process.
Mahmoud Atauna, a 29-year-old resident of Jabaliya in Gaza, has been a member of the Hamas military wing for the last decade. He was arrested about a month ago after he crossed into Israel carrying two knives, the Shin Bet said in a statement. Atauna said under questioning that he had intended to stab and kill Israeli civilians or security force members inside Israel.
Atauna also revealed to his interrogators that he belongs to the Al-Qassam Brigades, part of Hamas’s military wing, and that he was involved in various Hamas operations such as the placing of explosives directed against IDF forces. However, the most valuable information he gave concerned his experience in the terror organization’s tunnel project in recent years.
According to the Shin Bet, Atauna pinpointed many digging focus points, including tunnel shafts meant to be used by Hamas elite units to conduct attacks against Israel. He said that the organization has constructed a branched network of tunnels in the Gaza Strip, which is used to transfer combatants and weapons. The tunnels are equipped with rooms in which the militants can rest, shower, and eat.
Atauna also revealed many names of militants who were in his Hamas unit and provided information on how Hamas uses private homes to store weapons. Many weapons were even kept in Atauna’s own home, including bombs, rifles and suicide belts that he was supposed to hand out in the case of a battle.
According to the Shin Bet, Atauna is just one of many Hamas combatants being interrogated and currently revealing inside information on the organization’s tunnel project. An indictment has been filed against him at the Beer Sheva District Court.
Had Israel finished the job during the last gaza war, and decimated hamass it would be no more tunnels to talk about. But instead bibi was worried about what Obama would say so he pulled out prematurely leaving hamass free to continue their terror and tunnel building. Dumb
Man would I love to know what they did do him and for how long, in order to get all that info.
And the pundits say if we give up more land, they’ll become nice and friendly and want to trade shopping opportunities. How’d that work out for the expelled families of Gush Katif?
I’m no military genius but why is Israel revealing how it is finding these tunnels? Let Hamas scratch their heads to try to figure it out.
A better question is what purpose is served in advertising what you found out.
to all you genius commentors
they release this info which not be true
to throw off hamas and not focus on the other people in gaza that are feeding israel the info
like this they think that this guy gave up all the info but really its people on the inside
Stop talking so much–and just do it!!!!! When will we learn to just shut up!!!!! Daber me’ot–v’aseh Harbei !!! דמד