As part of the emergency plan, Hamas has asked other militant groups in the Strip to coordinate their activities with the government. The military wing ordered regional and local commanders to get ready for another conflict, the source said, no later than next summer.
Last Sunday, amid reports of fresh Hamas tunneling, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit the Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip harder than during the 2014 war – known as Operation Protective Edge – which started after Hamas launched multiple rockets into Israeli territory.
“In the event we are attacked from tunnels in the Gaza Strip, we will act very forcefully against Hamas, and with much more force than Operation Protective Edge,” Netanyahu said.
With Iranian Funds In Hand, Hamas Digs On
Utilizing critical Iranian funds, Hamas has pressed on with completing the restoration of its network of tunnels, including those reaching into Israeli territory, a top Hamas diplomatic source told Breitbart Jerusalem.
“The military wing has ensured the preparedness of our tunnels some time ahead of schedule,” the Hamas source said.
Seven Hamas militants were killed last week, and another two on Tuesday, while working to restore tunnels slated to serve as launching pads for attacks on Israel.
The Hamas source added that the expedited project was made possible thanks to a grant from the Iranian government.
Despite tensions between Hamas’s political leadership and Iran, he stressed, Tehran’s financial support for the organization’s military wing has been unhindered, and the relationship between the field commanders and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards remains cordial. This was recently expressed by an exchange of condolences between Hamas and Hizbullah over the killing of their respective operatives in action.
The Hamas source also said that Iran’s financial support has no connection to the lifting of international sanctions on the Tehran regime last month.
“The Islamic Republic resumed financial support for the military wing months ago,” he said.