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In the Gaza Strip, the governing authority Hamas developed a sophisticated network of military tunnels. The tunnel system branches beneath many Gazan towns and cities, such as Khan Yunis, Jabalia and the Shati refugee camp. The internal tunnels, running some dozens of kilometres within the Gaza Strip,〔 have several functions. Hamas uses the tunnels to hide its arsenal of rocketry underground, to facilitate communication, to permit munition stocks to be hidden and to conceal militants, making detection from the air difficult.〔Jim Michaels,('Extent of tunnels under Gaza takes Israel by surprise,' ) USA Today 31 July 2014.〕 The cross-border tunnels were used in the capture of Gilad Shalit in 2006, and multiple times during the 2014 conflict. Destroying the tunnels was a primary objective of Israeli forces in the The UN Commission of Inquiry found the tunnels "caused great anxiety among Israelis that the tunnels might be used to attack civilians."〔 Ihab al-Ghussein, spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry, describes the tunnels as an exercise of Gaza's "right to protect itself." Israeli officials reported four "incidents in which members of Palestinian armed groups emerged from tunnel exits located between 1.1 and 4.7 km from civilian homes."〔 “Official Israeli sources describe ‘cross-border tunnel attacks’ as one of ‘two primary means to target Israeli civilians,’ explaining that, ‘Hamas placed tunnel openings close to residential communities in Israel’.”〕 The Israeli government refers to cross-border tunnels as "attack tunnels" or "terror tunnels."〔 According to Israel, the tunnels enabled the launch of rockets by remote control,〔William Booth,('Here's what really happened in the Gaza war according to the Israelis,' ) Washington Post 3 September 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014〕 and were intended to facilitate hostage-taking and mass-casualty attacks.〔〔, citing 〕 ==Origins and construction== The tunnel construction employed in the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict has its origins in the tunnels into Egypt that were constructed to overcome Egyptian and Israeli economic blockade on the coastal enclave which has been in effect since 2007.〔 The tunnels into Israel were constructed using the expertise of the Rafah families who have specialized in digging tunnels into Egypt for commerce and smuggling, and have been described by former Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya as representative of "a new strategy in confronting the occupation and in the conflict with the enemy from underground and from above the ground."〔 According to Eado Hecht, an Israeli defence analyst specialising in underground warfare, "()hese underground complexes are fairly similar in concept to the Viet Cong tunnels dug beneath the jungles of South Vietnam, though the quality of finishing is better, with concrete walls and roofs, electricity and other required amenities for lengthy sojourn." The Israeli military has provided estimates that Hamas spent around $30 to $90 million, and poured 600,000 tons of concrete, in order to build three dozen tunnels.〔Fitch, Asa, Rory Jones and Adam Entous. "Early Failure to Detect Gaza Tunnel Network Triggers Recriminations in Israel: Israel Estimates Gaza Tunnels Cost Hamas $90 Million to Build." ''The Wall Street Journal''. 10 August 2014.〕 Some tunnels were estimated to have cost $3 million to construct. The Mako network published a description of the working conditions on the tunnels, citing an unnamed Israeli informant who said he worked on them, including the following details: Workers spent 8–12 hours a day on construction under precarious conditions and received a monthly wage of $150–$300. Hamas used electric or pneumatic jackhammers for digging tunnels. Tunnels were dug 18–25 meters (60–82 feet) underground at the rate of 4–5 meters a day.〔 Tunnels were usually dug through sandy soil requiring their roof to be supported by a more durable level of clay. Tunnels were also reinforced by concrete panels manufactured in workshops adjacent to each tunnel.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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