Gaza teenager arrested in April while trying to infiltrate into Israel passes on to the Shin Bet valuable intel about Hamas’ tunnel-digging operations, including terror-tunnels’ layout, methods & operating procedures.
By Lilach Shoval and Gadi Golan
An underage Hamas operative arrested by Israeli security forces in April has provided the Shin Bet security agency with valuable information about Hamas’ tunnel-digging operations, the agency revealed Tuesday.
The Southern District Attorney’s Office filed its indictment against the minor, a teenage boy whose identity has been placed under a gag order, with the Beersheba District Court on Tuesday. He faces various charges, including affiliation with an illegal organization, conspiracy to commit a violent crime, arms offenses, and security offenses.
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According to Shin Bet, the boy was arrested on April 6 after crossing the Israel-Gaza Strip border fence. His interrogation revealed that he was a member of a Hamas battalion based in northern Gaza, to which he was recruited in 2014, shortly before Operation Protective Edge.
He told the Shin Bet Hamas military wing, Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, provided him with various training, as part of which he had participated in surveillance and ambushes against Israeli military troops. He further revealed that his training involved infiltrations, offensive missions, and detonating explosives, drilled to served Hamas’ operational perception, as the Islamist group believes its next conflict with Israel will take place on Israeli soil.
The Shin Bet said the interrogation also provided intelligence about the Hamas’ tunnel-digging methods and operating procedures. The boy confessed to taking part in planting explosives in and around tunnels in case IDF troops locate and enter the tunnels.
Hamas is forging ahead with its tunnel enterprise while fully aware of the IDF’s efforts to uncover and destroy the underground passageways, the boy reportedly told interrogators.
“The boy is just one of many Hamas operatives who are currently being interrogated by the Shin Bet and providing it with inside information about Hamas’ comprehensive tunnel operations,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.
View original Israel Hayom publication at:
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=33649