New Alarm System for Hamas Tunnels in Southern Israel

Amid concerns that the Islamist Hamas movement which controls the Gaza Strip is continuing to build attack tunnels into southern Israel, the government will sound an alarm not only when rockets are launched, but when Israel receives information about digging into Israeli territory. The alarm will sound the same as that for a missile alert, which gives residents closest to Gaza just 15 seconds to run to sealed rooms. At the same time, residents will receive an SMS message instructing, “Due to terrorist digging, residents are requested to go into their homes and switch off the lights until further notice.” Speaking about the new initiative, a military official said on Tuesday, “Our central mission today is to defend the communities, in addition to offensive engagements against terror. The Israeli communities in the Gaza area are of primary importance their strength means success.” But some expressed concern that the decision could cause unnecessary panic among residents.