By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – The Israeli Defense Forces are concerned that Hamas is constructing temporary housing along the Israel-Gaza border, effectively creating a human shield. The buildings will reportedly house Gazans displaced during the fighting last winter between Israeli military forces and Palestinian fighters in Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) believe that Hamas is planning to place thousands of Gazans along the border.

 

IDF officials said that placing the homes along the border is a cover for tunnels moving from Gaza into Israel, allowing Hamas fighters to bypass Israeli security and carry out attacks inside Gaza. IDF also believes the homes would serve as obstacles if Israel decided to launch a ground assault on Gaza.

 

“This is part of Hamas’s overall strategy to use build-up areas to hide in and launch attacks,” said a senior IDF official. “This basically means that Hamas will want to use the people it places there as human shields against Israel.”

 

Both Israel and Gaza have escalated tensions along the Israel-Gaza border in recent weeks. Gaza has launched several Kassam rockets into southern Israel, as part of a strategy that Israeli media reported was approved by Hamas’s allies, Iran and Syria. On October 4, the Israeli military increased its response to such rocket attacks, bombing a suspected arms factory in Gaza. For several weeks, IDF has also targeted rocket launchers and groups Israel has deemed terrorist cells. One IDF source said that the increase in military actions was IDF’s attempt to prevent any further escalation by Hamas.

 

“We believe that we must restore the deterrence that existed after Operation Cast Lead [Israel operation in Gaza],” the source said.

 

Hamas has made efforts to prevent terrorist attacks from Gaza. On October 6, the Saudi-owned newspaper As-Sharq Al Awsat reported that Hamas had arrested Palestinians suspected of planning terrorist attacks. The newspaper reported that the arrests had been ordered by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh as part of a territory-wide crackdown on terrorist activity.

 

For more information, please see:

 

Examiner – Hamas Will Put Arabs as Human Shields at Gaza Border – 7 October 2009

 

World Tribune – Israel Sees Escalation of Violence from Hamas – 7 October 2009

 

Arutz Sheva – Hamas May Build Homes for “Human Shields” – 5 October 2009

 

Jerusalem Post – “Hamas May Put Gazans on Border to Prevent Ground Attacks” – 5 October 2009