Gaza Conflict: Israel 'To Destroy' Hamas Tunnels - Netanyahu

Israel will not stop its operation in Gaza until all the tunnels constructed by Hamas have been destroyed, PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

Speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting, he said Israel was determined to destroy the tunnels - used to attack troops and towns - "with or without a ceasefire".
Earlier Israel called up 16,000 reservists, bringing the total mobilised so far to 86,000.
Some 425,000 people in Gaza have been displaced by fighting, the UN says.
The UN says it is sheltering 225,178 Palestinians in 86 shelters across Gaza, with 200,000 more thought to be sheltering with friends or family.
The total number displaced amounts to 25% of all of Gaza's 1.7 million inhabitants.

Download Flash Player now

You need to install Flash Player to play this content.

The BBC's Orla Guerin was given access by the Israeli military to a tunnel they say was used by Palestinian militants

Israel began Operation Protective Edge on 8 July. Since then at least 1,360 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians.
The operation began with a focus on Hamas' rocket-launching capability, but has since expanded to take in the threat from tunnels.
After air strikes began, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) discovered an extensive network of tunnels leading from Gaza into Israel.
Hamas militants have launched several attacks from the tunnels, killing a number of Israeli soldiers.
It launched a ground operation to destroy the tunnels on 17 July, and insists that any ceasefire deal includes the right to continue that mission.

 

Source:bbc.co.uk