The IDF may have pulled off a tactical coup by luring Hamas leaders to shelter in their tunnel network late Thursday night/early Friday morning when it publicly intimated that it was undertaking a ground offensive into Gaza.
Yaakov Katz reconstructs events in some detail for the Jerusalem Post story “Did IDF deception lead to massive aerial assault on Hamas’s ‘Metro’?”
Arutz Sheva removes the question mark and adds a metaphorical exclamation point in “450 bombs in 35 minutes: This is how the IDF tricked Hamas.” Subhead: “IDF publishes unclear notice – causing Hamas to panic, escape into terror tunnels.” The story reports:
Hamas’ underground city was hit with enormous force, and the IDF collapsed the terror tunnel system, on the heads of the terrorists hiding in the tunnels.
During the attack, many kilometres of terror tunnels were destroyed. As of now, neither Israel nor Hamas is clear on the exact scope of the damage, but according to estimates, a large number of terrorists were buried in the sands beneath Gaza.
Quoting a military source, the Times of Israel also covers the story in “Report: Heavy bombing of Hamas ‘metro’ destroyed miles of tunnels, killed dozens.”
Benny Avni cautiously evaluates the operation in the excellent New York Sun column “Feint by Israel May Have Delivered a Major Blow to Hamas.” Let it be.
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