Inside Gaza: Hamas Sends Children To Test IDF on New Frontline

The sound of drones fills the air as I stand on top of an Israeli army base overlooking the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.An Israeli flag towers over me, symbolizing the Jewish country’s control of this side of the war-torn enclave — some 60 percent of the entire area, according to the IDF.A sign warning of sniper fire from Hamas hangs on the fortified position, where sandbags and HESCO-style barriers offer me some but not full protection.“That’s the yellow line mark,” a commander from the IDF’s Gaza Division tells the New York Sun and other foreign journalists as he points toward a brick with yellow paint on it about one kilometer from where we stand. For a frontline that separates two of the world’s biggest enemies, it’s not easy to make out. It is marked on bricks and stones, all painted yellow and spaced at various intervals. When asked what happens if someone crosses the line, the commander says they have orders to shoot to kill only if it’s someone who poses a danger to the army.If it’s a child or someone who is unarmed, the army will fire warning shots and yell at them to go back.“We have visual evidence that Hamas sends kids to different points (across the yellow line) just to see what happens. If it’s a kid we won’t shoot next to him or we will shout if we are at range. It’s a major challenge,” he says.With Hamas refusing to disarm before Israel completely withdraws from Gaza, the IDF is increasing its attacks against the terror group, which controls the large Palestinian cities in front of us, from north to south.It’s been nearly a year since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect. Israel has killed hundreds of members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad since then. The New York Sun asked the IDF for a precise number of killed combatants but has yet to get an answer. According to the ceasefire deal brokered by President Trump, Israel’s withdrawal will happen gradually as Hamas begins to disarm. Hamas, on its part, has refused to honor its commitment, demanding that Israel fully withdraw from Gaza before any disarmament occurs. Both sides are therefore stalling for time, each for their own reasons. With an election on October 27, Prime Minister Netanyahu can’t afford to be seen pulling soldiers out of Gaza while Hamas is still in power. And Hamas is using the stalemate to regroup, rearm, and recruit new members, hoping to regain its strength in case a new war breaks out between the two sides. Around the same time that the New York Sun entered Gaza on the military embed, the IDF killed Hamas’s finance department chief, Muhammad Abu Alwan, in Khan Younis, nearby. A testimony to the war zone that Gaza still is. Killing members of terror groups is not the only thing that keeps the IDF busy. Since the ceasefire took effect in October last year, the army has embarked on a mission to destroy as many Hamas tunnels as possible inside the area it controls.According to the IDF’s deputy commander of the Gaza brigade, more than half of the tunnels have been destroyed so far. Some have been blown up, while others have been filled with cement or water if they were too close to Palestinian civilians for a controlled explosion to be carried out.One of the tunnels that remains to be destroyed runs underground in the neighborhood of Shejaiya, just outside Gaza City in the northern part of the enclave.Jotam Confino The IDF’s armored vehicles take us there through what can best be described as a wasteland.Another large IDF base towers over the ruins from the two-year war between Israel and Hamas.A second IDF commander, who also asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, briefs us before we enter the 500-meter-long tunnel.Despite the army’s intense efforts to destroy the tunnels, many more are left intact in the Hamas-controlled area. When asked how long it would take to rid Gaza of all tunnels, the commander says it could take years. As I enter the tunnel, I have to bow my head immediately, as it’s only about 5.5 ft high.Electrical cables run along the cemented walls, providing light along the dark path ahead of us. A bit further in, we see a room with a plastic table, a mirror and a mattress, where Hamas fighters slept.Another room has a sink. Large water containers appear as we continue deeper into the tunnel, which has several side passages leading to different rooms.It doesn’t take long before I am drenched in sweat from the blistering humidity. The smell of mold, dust, and earth is heavy.“Imagine what the hostages felt like,” an Israeli soldier said as we neared the exit.Jotam Confino The hellish environment is hard to imagine living in for two years, as some hostages did, not knowing if they would ever see the light of day.The sun hits me in the face as I walk out of the tunnel, with masked IDF soldiers waiting for us.Around us is mayhem. Buildings and apartments have been blown to pieces. They are a testimony to the massive price the civilian population has paid and continues to pay for the terror group’s war against Israel.About half the population still lives in tents, according to an estimate made by the Norwegian Refugee Council in June.But the massive reconstruction of Gaza will only happen when Hamas disarms. Until then, at least half the population will have to continue living in extremely modest conditions, relying on aid from donor countries and NGOs.

Inside Gaza: Hamas Sends Children To Test IDF on New Frontline

Inside Gaza: Hamas Sends Children To Test IDF on New Frontline

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