On Wednesday, 10 July 2002, my neighbor's son, a bright red headed IDF
officer, Capt. Hagai (Hayim) Lev, 23, from Efrat, was shot to death during
an IDF operation in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, near the
Israeli-Egyptian border. Capt. Lev was a part of an IDF force searching for
underground tunnels used in weapon smuggling. The soldiers were sniped at
upon from a nearby building. Capt. Hagai was hit and evacuated to a
hospital, where he later died from his wounds.
The unit which Lev commanded had been involved in many terror-prevention
operations.
Capt. Lev is survived by parents, five siblings and his wife of less than
one year, Nurit, age 22. Hagai and Nurit were about to move into the first
home of their own on the day after Tisha B'av, on July 18th.
The Commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Strip, Col. Shlomo Dagan, who eulogized Capt. Hagai (Haim) Lev at the Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery, discussed at a press conference later that day the daily routine of IDF troops dealing with explosive charges, and shooting and grenade attacks. ?The tunnels are the life-lines of terrorist activity supplying major sources of weaponry. The attacks in this sector do not cease, and our soldiers react accordingly?, said Dagan.
The operation in which Capt. Lev was killed, was being conducted in a
territory defined by international treaties as under full Israeli
authority, both in defense and civilian related issues.
Under the Oslo accords, Israel controls the thin strip which runs between
the southern tip of the Palestinian-held Gaza Strip and the Egyptian Sinai
peninsula. The IDF calls this narrow route the "Philadelphi" road. Although
Oslo agreement maps mark an Israeli-controlled strip about 100 meters in
width, Palestinian construction in the Rafah area reduced the dimensions
of this buffer zone. At one stage the strip narrowed to about 15 meters in
width. The IDF responded by destroying some structures and expanding the
strip to around 50 meters in width - and in some areas to the full 100
meters.
The Philadelphi road has always been a violent flash-point, and a number of
IDF soldiers have been wounded or killed in the area. The IDF set up two
manned posts along the strip; both have periodically been the target of
Palestinian attacks and gunfire assaults against them have intensified
recently.
The Philadelphi road is smugglers heaven. Stretching about eight-and-a-half
kilometers long, from the Girit outpost south of Gush Katif to the
outskirts of Kerem Shalom east of Rafah inside Israel, the road varies in
width from 60 to 120 meters. Unlike the West Bank, there's generally no lack of ammunition or explosives in Gaza - it all comes in through the tunnels. Shutting them down would dramatically cut off the supply of arms to terrorist organizations in the Strip.
The Israeli-Egyptian border is regularly used by terror organizations based
in the Gaza Strip as a route for smuggling weapons. The tunnels are the
primary source of weapons and explosives in the Gaza Strip.
In Gaza, anyone can order a tunnel dug for about $30,000. Clans and various organizations own their own tunnels, using them not only for arms, but also for other goods. Some of the tunnels are very sophisticated and include intercoms and rails for trolleys. Due to the lack of oxygen deep in the tunnels, they cannot be used easily to smuggle people, but the IDF has heard of accounts of wanted men escaping to Egypt via the tunnels.
According to the IDF, some 40 tunnels are currently operating between Rafah and the Egyptian side of the border.
It should be noted that such activities are in violation of the
Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement and that investigation of such violations
fall within the purview of the American Sinai observer force. There is no
indication that the observer force ever investigated this wholesale
violation of the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement even though it has been
going on for many years.
About once a week, the IDF reports success at uncovering a smugglers'
tunnel on the Israeli-Egyptian border opposite Rafah. In the last three
months, a systematic effort has led to the discovery of 11 such tunnels,
used to smuggle arms, ammunition, explosives, cigarettes, appliances and
presumably drugs. The Desert Reconnaissance Unit, the Engineering Corps,
Givati's Reconnaissance Regiment and other units have been involved in the
effort. For the army the tunnels are considered Gaza's number one security
problem.
Given this information, it is incomprehensible why Israeli officials
consistently hedge questions concerning any requests or demands they may
have made on the Egyptians to take serious measures to stop the smuggling
of weapons through Egypt.
Following a recent meeting in Egypt with President Hosni Mubarak,
Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer?s spokesman was willing to comment
only that: ?The Egyptians are aware of the problem and are taking care of
it?.
Knesset Chairman Avrum Burg, who recently met with the head of Egyptian Intelligence stated that he is prevented from revealing any details about the meeting for confidential reasons but stated that the Egyptians are doing a lot to thwart terrorist actions against Israel.
According to Israel Radio, F.M. Peres stated that Mubarak "agreed to work
to stop arms smuggling' from Egypt to the P.A.
The commentator on Israel Radio noted that Mubarak issued no order to the Egyptian army to close up the tunnels. Nor did Mubarak make any solid
promise or commitment in this regard.
Meanwhile, the US troops who patrol the Sinai under the terms of the
Egyptian Israeli peace accord are not about to do anything to close the
tunnels, which are the main source of PLO arms supply today. So much for
international peace observers.
From my dining room window, I can see the home that Hagai and
Nurit were going to move into this [past] week.
END
-----------------------------
David Bedein,
ISRAEL RESOURCE NEWS AGENCY
BEIT AGRON INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTER
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
WWW.ISRAELBEHINDTHENEWS.COM
officer, Capt. Hagai (Hayim) Lev, 23, from Efrat, was shot to death during
an IDF operation in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, near the
Israeli-Egyptian border. Capt. Lev was a part of an IDF force searching for
underground tunnels used in weapon smuggling. The soldiers were sniped at
upon from a nearby building. Capt. Hagai was hit and evacuated to a
hospital, where he later died from his wounds.
The unit which Lev commanded had been involved in many terror-prevention
operations.
Capt. Lev is survived by parents, five siblings and his wife of less than
one year, Nurit, age 22. Hagai and Nurit were about to move into the first
home of their own on the day after Tisha B'av, on July 18th.
The Commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Strip, Col. Shlomo Dagan, who eulogized Capt. Hagai (Haim) Lev at the Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery, discussed at a press conference later that day the daily routine of IDF troops dealing with explosive charges, and shooting and grenade attacks. ?The tunnels are the life-lines of terrorist activity supplying major sources of weaponry. The attacks in this sector do not cease, and our soldiers react accordingly?, said Dagan.
The operation in which Capt. Lev was killed, was being conducted in a
territory defined by international treaties as under full Israeli
authority, both in defense and civilian related issues.
Under the Oslo accords, Israel controls the thin strip which runs between
the southern tip of the Palestinian-held Gaza Strip and the Egyptian Sinai
peninsula. The IDF calls this narrow route the "Philadelphi" road. Although
Oslo agreement maps mark an Israeli-controlled strip about 100 meters in
width, Palestinian construction in the Rafah area reduced the dimensions
of this buffer zone. At one stage the strip narrowed to about 15 meters in
width. The IDF responded by destroying some structures and expanding the
strip to around 50 meters in width - and in some areas to the full 100
meters.
The Philadelphi road has always been a violent flash-point, and a number of
IDF soldiers have been wounded or killed in the area. The IDF set up two
manned posts along the strip; both have periodically been the target of
Palestinian attacks and gunfire assaults against them have intensified
recently.
The Philadelphi road is smugglers heaven. Stretching about eight-and-a-half
kilometers long, from the Girit outpost south of Gush Katif to the
outskirts of Kerem Shalom east of Rafah inside Israel, the road varies in
width from 60 to 120 meters. Unlike the West Bank, there's generally no lack of ammunition or explosives in Gaza - it all comes in through the tunnels. Shutting them down would dramatically cut off the supply of arms to terrorist organizations in the Strip.
The Israeli-Egyptian border is regularly used by terror organizations based
in the Gaza Strip as a route for smuggling weapons. The tunnels are the
primary source of weapons and explosives in the Gaza Strip.
In Gaza, anyone can order a tunnel dug for about $30,000. Clans and various organizations own their own tunnels, using them not only for arms, but also for other goods. Some of the tunnels are very sophisticated and include intercoms and rails for trolleys. Due to the lack of oxygen deep in the tunnels, they cannot be used easily to smuggle people, but the IDF has heard of accounts of wanted men escaping to Egypt via the tunnels.
According to the IDF, some 40 tunnels are currently operating between Rafah and the Egyptian side of the border.
It should be noted that such activities are in violation of the
Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement and that investigation of such violations
fall within the purview of the American Sinai observer force. There is no
indication that the observer force ever investigated this wholesale
violation of the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement even though it has been
going on for many years.
About once a week, the IDF reports success at uncovering a smugglers'
tunnel on the Israeli-Egyptian border opposite Rafah. In the last three
months, a systematic effort has led to the discovery of 11 such tunnels,
used to smuggle arms, ammunition, explosives, cigarettes, appliances and
presumably drugs. The Desert Reconnaissance Unit, the Engineering Corps,
Givati's Reconnaissance Regiment and other units have been involved in the
effort. For the army the tunnels are considered Gaza's number one security
problem.
Given this information, it is incomprehensible why Israeli officials
consistently hedge questions concerning any requests or demands they may
have made on the Egyptians to take serious measures to stop the smuggling
of weapons through Egypt.
Following a recent meeting in Egypt with President Hosni Mubarak,
Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer?s spokesman was willing to comment
only that: ?The Egyptians are aware of the problem and are taking care of
it?.
Knesset Chairman Avrum Burg, who recently met with the head of Egyptian Intelligence stated that he is prevented from revealing any details about the meeting for confidential reasons but stated that the Egyptians are doing a lot to thwart terrorist actions against Israel.
According to Israel Radio, F.M. Peres stated that Mubarak "agreed to work
to stop arms smuggling' from Egypt to the P.A.
The commentator on Israel Radio noted that Mubarak issued no order to the Egyptian army to close up the tunnels. Nor did Mubarak make any solid
promise or commitment in this regard.
Meanwhile, the US troops who patrol the Sinai under the terms of the
Egyptian Israeli peace accord are not about to do anything to close the
tunnels, which are the main source of PLO arms supply today. So much for
international peace observers.
From my dining room window, I can see the home that Hagai and
Nurit were going to move into this [past] week.
END
-----------------------------
David Bedein,
ISRAEL RESOURCE NEWS AGENCY
BEIT AGRON INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTER
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
WWW.ISRAELBEHINDTHENEWS.COM