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Israeli Army Probe Finds Military Was Not Prepared For Hamas Tunnels

A commission of more than 30 Israeli army officers has found the army was not sufficiently prepared to detect and block tunnels built by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip into Israel during Operation Protective Edge two years ago. The committee questioned all of the commanders involved in the fighting, and focused on one incident when Hamas gunmen emerged from a tunnel near Kibbutz Sufa near the Gaza border. Israeli soldiers stopped the gunmen, but two soldiers were killed. According to Army Radio, the report, part of which is still classified, found that the army knew there was a tunnel threat, but did not know how large it was. That meant that any preparations the army made were not sufficient, according to the report. The army’s report comes before an expected report by the State Comptroller that is expected to also blame the Israeli government for not being sufficiently prepared. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said his cabinet held discussions on the tunnel threat as early as January 2013. An Israeli army spokesman said that the committee’s conclusions have already been integrated into the army’s plans.