About these Gaza tunnels and other humanitarian and financial enterprises by Hamas

While IDF is rooting out the Hamas tunnels, it might be worth your time to check some tunnel - related facts. First of all, watch this Al Jaz clip:

Post by The Israel Project.

Now that you know where the building materials Gaza is pining for really go, think about the other angle of the relentless hate - inspired "creative" activity: the finances. It is estimated that every such tunnel costs about half a million dollars to construct. Keeping in mind the unending wailing of the Western bleeding hearts about the dire economic situation in Gaza, this may provide some food for thought, you have to agree. As could this bit of graphics:

But if you, as I am, are not financially savvy, think about a humanitarian aspect of these tunnels. It is by now established that the neighborhoods of Gaza City are infested by these tunnels, and entry/exit points are numerous and well appointed affairs, as are the tunnels you have seen in that clip. Have you asked yourself, why, in the midst of the intense firefights that cause so many civilian* deaths, Hamas leaders are not offering the tunnels as protection for simple citizens?

Part of the answer could be found in a WaPo article (but read it all afterwards), where the author describes the three types of tunnels:

Another set of tunnels reportedly services the Hamas high command. “Every single leader of Hamas, from its lowest ranking bureaucrats to its most senior leaders, is intimately familiar with the route to the security tunnel assigned to him and his family,” al-Monitor reported. “The most senior leadership has its own specific tunnel.”

Yes indeed. If a Hamas' mandarin and his family have to use a tunnel and it happens to be clogged by simple mortals - no, it simply wouldn't do, would it?

Not only don't Hamas ogres care about their people, they want them to die:

On July 16, 2014, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a report stating: “the Israeli military delivered text messages to virtually all the residents of Ash Shuja’iyya and Az Zaitun neighborhoods in eastern Gaza city, approximately 100,000 people, warning them to leave their homes by 8 am today (16 July), ahead of attacks to be launched in the area.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also made phone calls and distributed leaflets.

OCHA then describes what came next: “Subsequently, the Palestinian Ministry of Interior in Gaza reportedly instructed the residents to…not flee the area.” As a result, OCHA admits: “the vast majority decided to stay.”

(*) When talking about civilians in Gaza, always keep this in mind.

Update: some more information about costs and other implications of the tunnels.