New terrorist HQ: Civilian apartments

TEL AVIV – Contrary to Israel's claims that it severely damaged the Hamas government in Gaza, the terrorist organization has resumed governing and is acting at about 85 percent capacity, according to both Hamas officials and human rights activists in Gaza.

Fully functioning in Gaza are Hamas' interior ministry, court system, ministry of transportation, education, police, health services and scores of other official institutions, the Hamas officials and activists from the independent Al Mizan human rights organization said.

Other sources in Gaza confirmed the Hamas government is functioning.

Improvising following Israeli air raids that targeted Hamas institutions, the group recently took out dozens of apartments within civilian complexes from which it currently bases its new government infrastructure. The move could complicate Israeli efforts to target Hamas in the future.

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Speaking in a joint interview with WND and the Israeli Ynetnews.com website, one Hamas official said his group recently made back-up copies of government files for storage within apartment buildings.

During Israel's three week offensive targeting Hamas, Israeli air strikes struck both symbolic Hamas institutions, such as government buildings, and the group's military infrastructure, including rocket caches, police stations, explosives factories, and weapons smuggling tunnels between Gaza and neighboring Egypt.

Israel was thought to have severely damaged Hamas' government infrastructure in the air raids.

Aside from the renewal of government institutions, the smuggling tunnels apparently are partially back in business. The Israel Defense Forces reportedly destroyed 60 to 70 percent of an estimated 600 smuggling tunnels between Gaza and neighboring Egypt.

Hamas sources speaking to WND claim the actual number of tunnels is closer to 1,300. The sources claimed Hamas was working to change the method of its weapons smuggling to rely more on sea shipments and less on tunnels.

Last Tuesday, the Associated Press reported from the Egypt-Gaza border that just hours after Israeli troops withdrew from the border area, the smuggling tunnels were back in business, used by locals to bring in supplies.

The AP also reported hundreds of workers in southern Gaza labored to repair dozens of tunnels dug under tents or fake greenhouses.

 

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