Israel warns Hamas militants ramping up rockets and tunnels

HAMAS is building thousands of rockets and has resumed work on its tunnel network in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military has warned, as a fragile ceasefire declared in May comes under growing pressure.

Lieutenant Colonel Amnon Shefler, the chief spokesman of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), said the Islamist group had ramped up its weapons production.

“They continue to manufacture thousands of rockets and upgrade their offensive capabilities, including rocket ranges and underground tunnels, attack UAVs [and] naval forces,” Lt Col Shefler said.

The Gaza conflict broke out on May 10 when Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem, partly in protest at clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians at the alAqsa mosque which wounded hundreds of worshippers. Around 20 Israeli police officers were also injured.

During the fighting, Hamas concentrated its fire on Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and Ashkelon, which in some cases overwhelmed the Iron Dome missile defence system and led to rockets destroying houses and killing civilians.

This has prompted Israeli defence officials to explore ways of raising the Iron Dome’s interception rate above 90 per cent, though the IDF has not disclosed what type of upgrades are being worked on.

The conflict killed more than 250 Palestinians and 13 residents of Israel before an uneasy ceasefire was declared on May 21. Severe civil unrest also broke out in Israeli cities, where Arab and Jewish mobs torched each others’ cars, schools and businesses, leaving at least two people dead.

Hamas and Israel have been accused of committing war crimes during the conflict, though both sides dispute this.

The truce has largely held despite several escalations in recent weeks, including a Palestinian stabbing attack in West Jerusalem on Sept 13 which wounded two Israelis. The incident was unusual, as Palestinian attacks on Israelis generally occur in the occupied West Bank or at checkpoints, rather than inside Israel itself.

Hamas forces in Gaza also fired several rockets towards Israel this month in protest at the recapture of six highprofile Palestinian inmates who mounted a daring jailbreak from one of the Jewish state’s most secure prisons.

Israel is also facing increased pressure on its northern border with Lebanon, where over the summer the Hizbollah militant group launched a rocket barrage at Israeli villages.

No one was killed in the attack, but it led to Israel retaliating with its first airstrike on Lebanon in seven years.