The head of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) military intelligence warned the country’s Knesset that Hamas continues to arm itself with Qassam rockets and other weapons capabilities that may threaten Israel’s home front.


Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz reportedly told Israeli legislators that “Hamas is also improving its defense capabilities in case of an Israeli operation (in Gaza)…”The Islamist group is turning Gaza into a bona fide state. Hamas is the clear and decisive ruler there.”

Baidatz also reported that Egypt is still unable to stop weapons and goods smuggling through Gaza’s illegal underground tunnels.

In a classic example of quid pro quo, Hamas reportedly snags at least $20 million each month from smuggling operations running into and out of the Gaza Strip.


According to a report in Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff, Hamas is even said to be trying to “place the smuggling operation between Egyptian and Palestinian Rafah on an official footing” by having special oil pipeline tunnels set up to get fuel in from Egypt.

Arab sources say that Hamas’ civil defense chief Yousef al-Zahar and Rafah Mayor Issa al-Nashar were at a “conference organized by a Gazan human rights group under the banner: ‘The tunnels – advantages and disadvantages.’”

al-Zahar and al-Nashar were said to have “praised the tunnels as important conduits for weapons for the “resistance,” [i.e., Hamas terrorist operations and those by other Palestinian terrorist groups inside Gaza] but also pointed to the dangers inherent in their operation.”