United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon walks through a Hamas terror tunnel leading from Gaza into Israel.  (Photo: Israel Defense Forces)

“No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.”  (Isaiah 54:17)

Two months after cessation of hostilities during Operation Protective Edge, Hamas has published photos of its ongoing tunnel construction saying, “Our work does not stop.”

The statement comes even as the international community prepares to dump additional billions of funding into the Gaza economy to supposedly rebuild the destroyed buildings and infrastructure.

Historically the majority of such funds have gone to enrich Hamas officials as well as pay for tunnel construction and the financing of illegal arms shipments. 

“At a depth of hundreds of feet in the ground, the situation is completely different than what you see on the surface,” boasts a Hamas member of the crew digging tunnels in the Gaza Strip.  “We started work on the tunnel a few years ago and as the work progresses further improvements are made to improve the tunnels, so they will be ready for any military purposes of the military wing.”

Despite the unity government, Hamas is still sovereign in Gaza.  Even after the unity government was announced, Hamas declared that it would continue its struggle against Israel and would not lay down its arms.

The photo that appeared with the statement does not indicate if this is ongoing work on an existing tunnel or the construction of a new one.

Reports by Qatar-based al-Jazeera at the end of August following the ceasefire revealed a network of tunnels and rockets ready in the event of the continuation of the conflict.  

The reporter appeared to be standing in a tunnel east of Khan Yunis, which he said was functioning despite Israeli military operations.  (Jerusalem online)

“We have a lot of surprises,” said the terrorists.  “Resistance is ready.”  (Jerusalem Online) 

Communities in the Gaza Strip in which Hamas embedded its missile batteries, firing rockets where Palestinian children live and play are in desperate need of rebuilding.  Many fear, though, that the aid being sent to Gaza for the purpose of helping civilians will be channeled into building terrorist tunnels and purchasing weapons.

Last week, Gaza received its first shipment of 400 tons of cement from Israel in a brokered agreement between the UN, Israel and Gaza.  That agreement calls for strict monitoring of the use of these materials for the rebuilding of up to 100,000 homes.  (Ynet)

“It’s in our interest for the residents of Gaza to improve their economic situation and their lives, but it must be clear that the funds and equipment are not used for terrorism,” said Israel’s Minister of Defense Moshe Ya’alon.

Meeting with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Ya’alon told the Secretary that Israel will not allow the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip if Hamas continues to use construction materials to rebuild infiltration tunnels.

Ya’alon expressed his concern that the newly constructed passages were designed to give Hamas militants access into Israel.  (JPost)

Ismail Haniyeh, a senior political leader of Hamas.

In spite of much hatred and aggression toward Israel, the daughter of Hamas leader, Ismael Haniyeh, Gaza’s former prime minister, received emergency medical treatment at Israel’s Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, following complications of a standard medical treatment that she received in Gaza.  No details were given.

Israeli doctors often treat patients from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.  The Haifa Medical Center alone sees about 650 Palestinian children and teens as well as hundreds of adults each year.  In the past year, Haniyeh’s mother-in-law received cancer treatment at a Jerusalem hospital, and his granddaughter received treatment for an incurable situation, from which she soon died.  (Times of Israel)